Frenzy Origins
by BiscuitDude
Summary: When troubled Regina Cain comes in contact with a parasitic, extra-terrestrial life form her life is changed forever. Delve into the world of Frenzy, a mature tale based around the Marvel/Spiderman Universe, introducing 'mostly' original characters and some familiar.
1. An Opportunity

**Author's Foreword.**

**When I initially set out to do this project back in late 2009, I didn't think I'd get very far with it. At the time I had just been offered a new job after a six month layoff, so I figured my time would be mainly occupied there. At the time, it was. And so by early 2010, after just five rather unsatisfying chapters the project petered out. But I never forgot about it.**

**Over the course of eighteen months, when time and focus allowed, I worked on the project. Something ambitious and something I could be proud of. And so, on 2nd December 2011, a day after my 22nd birthday, the first chapter for Frenzy Origins was released on my DeviantArt (check my profile for link). Since then I have been working on the story, expanding it, plotting new horizons and so forth. Recently I finished the layout for Frenzy Origins and how it can expand into future stories with Regina, Veronica and the other (mostly) original characters I created. So, there is certainly more to look forward too!**

**I definitely hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it!**

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**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

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"Bones twist and backs break. I guarantee it'll be a piece...of...cake." Fearsome words twisted and discomforted the retreating thug as he clutched the knife tighter. On the ground scurrying away, he backed into a brick wall stained with blood, the remains of his pals. The mysterious figure laughed with monstrous delight, taunting and mocking the thug.

Bearing razor sharp teeth and sickle tongue, its silhouette flailed to and fro, this poor thug picked the wrong girl to mug. He sliced and jabbed into total darkness, terrified and uncertain. A swift swipe and the knife got ripped from his grasp. The figure stepped into the single ray of light produced by a lone, flickering lamp.

"Please," he begged. Pushing his head back as far as possible, he could see in true form what had turned the tables as it crept into the light. What was prey had now become the predator, a tall female figure with white hollow eyes and sharp killer teeth. Its tendrils, flailing to and fro shattered the coward's knife in two. Crouching down like a slideshow in the flickering light, face to face with vicious delight. This creature ran its claws all over its prey's face, across the forehead and down his cheek, enthralled by the taste of sweat and the stench of fear.

Its face crept closer and closer, a huge blood stained teeth grinning from cheek to cheek. The devilish maw suddenly gaped open and the thug shut his eyes anticipating his demise...

Nothing happened, only the sound of dripping blood on asphalt. Slowly, the thug opened his eyes. The flickering glow highlighted the creature, features unlike before. Though still purple in body, there was a face so pure, so innocent, staring intently back through the creature's gaping maw. Her expression changed from blank and she grinned fiendishly.

"Get one last look. I hope it was worth it." The girl said with detest as her face vanished into the maw of the beast. Fear returned to the man crouched before her. He screamed out loud as huge teeth lunged forth to his face and crunched his flesh. Red nectar gushed forth. The screams became hoarse and distorted by the gurgling of fluid, until a snap caused the thug to become silent. The creature retracted and let out a deafening roar; justice had been served in the worst possible way.

Standing up and retreating slightly, the creature's appearance warped. Purple changed back to healthy skin and the fangs disappeared, folding back into the purple mass. The girl's young face was revealed. Dark brown hair and athletic figure visible as mass crawled into her skin. She opened her eyes just as the mass disappeared into the pores on her hands and under her nails.

Dazed and confused, she muttered three distinct words: "Who am I?"

"Regina, just a couple more hours and we'll be there!" Bryan said enthusiastically. Sitting in a car going somewhere, Regina stared out the window letting out a slight grunt of acknowledgment. Bryan, Regina's brother was driving, taking what little family he had with him. Given the circumstances you could say they were both escaping a life gone by with a purpose to start anew. "Look," Bryan responded, "I know I said we'd be staying in Chicago a bit longer but this will do you some good."

"Really?" Regina asked sarcastically, "because I'm _sure_ going to New York is the right thing to do, for you at least."

"Come on don't be like that." Bryan quickly replied, attempting to reassure Regina. Knowing all too well there was more to this trip then what he stated.

"I will be like _that_. You can't fool me." Regina turned away from the window to look at Bryan his vision firmly fixated on the road ahead. "I know full well why we're going. You get one phone call from your former lecturer and suddenly you're all giddy and excitable. Next it's '_pack your stuff, let's go to New York__._' Just be honest, dammit."

"It's a...opportunity," Bryan replied, something had intrigued him to go back to New York City. He refused to imply what the reason was.

"Aha! You had to think a moment! I knew there was something. So yet again it's all for your benefit, eh?"

Bryan laughed cheaply and shook his head, "I will not be drawn into a debate sis. I figured you could do with a fresh start."

"Nothing new to you though," Regina said as she turned back to face out the window. Bryan turned his head momentarily to follow Regina's gaze and sighed. He had been to New York a few months prior studying at Empire State University under a Dr. Connors. Biology had been the main focus of Brian's studying and then explored other unique fields particularly the unknown and spectacular, space organisms. Circumstances back home in Chicago forced Bryan to cut his studying short.

"That's hardly fair," Bryan finally responded after a moment's silence. "We've both been through a lot these past months. The best we can do is move on." Regina turned to face him. "Yes, I've been here before. Yes, there is a reason for me to come back. But I think you deserve a chance to 'reinvent' yourself. I've an apartment I leased when I was a student, we can stay there. Whatever happens I'll be here for you and will always look out for you!" Bryan proclaimed as he glanced towards Regina, "I promise."

"P-Promise?" Regina replied with a slight smile.

"Promise," Bryan repeated. Regina slumped into her chair as Bryan gazed forward, focusing on the road again.

"Do you miss them?" Regina asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Bryan grunted in response, quickly glancing over as Regina turned her head to face him.

"Do you miss mum and dad?" There was an awkward silence. Bryan bit his lower lip and rolled it into his mouth before returning to normal. Regina could've sworn that a slight tear began forming in his eye.

"All the time. I wish I was there for you, all of you." Regina's expression went blank and turned back to the window. Closing her eyes, she began recalling the accident. It was a bright summer day, the smell of petroleum in her nostrils and a faint scent of freshly mown turf. Regina remembered the murderer, a strong smell of vodka and rum, vacant expression and disorderly appearance. Shirt half tucked, ruffled hair from hours of couch crashing, someone unfit to drive.

A head on collision, glass shattered and shards rained down. The body work rippled inwards, crunching down from sheer force as the seats collapsed into each other. A distraught Regina witnessed her parent's demise. Her father's torso was crushed by the brute force of airborne cargo from the colliding truck. He just bled to death and no one realised until at the hospital, by then he was too far gone.

Regina recalled that final, terrified expression on her mother's face. In a desperate attempt to protect her daughter she suffered from several broken bones and never recovered, she died a few days later. Regina got away with a few scrapes and bruises; nothing fatal, but the trauma was irreparable. That fool driver survived, walked away with nothing more than a few cuts, a gashed head, scarred conscious and his license revoked. Regina demanded more. He killed her parents and got off scot free?

As the miles tumbled and the world went by Regina felt nothing more than to just make the most of this solitude before the next stage in her life. She began to drift off to sleep, remembering better days gone by...

"Ladies and gentlemen of the board, I thank you." A chorus of wheels along soft carpet erupts and minor bustle commences as Ellis King brings the board meeting to a close. His wife, Zoe smiled at him, sat directly beside him on the oval table. Ellis escorted her out of the room; placing his hand gently on her back with briefcase in the other. "It's getting harder to bullshit like that," Ellis said to Zoe as they started to walk down the corridor. "How the hell our predecessors kept this place afloat I don't know. Millions put into single projects, corporate sabotage, _murder_," Ellis scoffed, "It's a wonder this company's still operating, given its recent history."

"You did say we should broaden: What better way to tap into the American market than buy up one the leading suppliers to the US military?" Zoe remarked.

"And that, Zoe Germaine King, is why I love you." Zoe King is a commanding woman of thirty four, golden blonde hair and striking blue eyes.

Joint CEO of her own company along with husband Ellis, Zoe owns one of Europe's largest manufacturers of chemicals and of lesser note cosmetics. They had recently succeeded in an ambitious bid to buy the entirety of OsCorp; a former leading supplier of equipment and scientific advances to the military.

However OsCorp lost its way with the death of founder and disgraced CEO Norman Osborn, then later his son Harry took the reins. He single handily leading the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Harry's unexpected death saw the company plummet even further, forcing the remaining owners to sell up. Zoe's company, Kings Armament Tech succeeded in purchasing the remaining assets. Despite securing the company and its entire inventory, Zoe felt uneasy regarding the acquisition. Ellis' intervention ensured that OsCorp became a subsidiary to their company.

"What? Not because I'm the 'most beautiful woman' you've ever met?" Zoe asked with a cheeky tone in her voice.

"You always have your sights set so high; ambition, desire and of course, your gorgeous face." Ellis paused and gazed down Zoe's body. "And of course, you have a fine pair of..." Zoe pushed Ellis back slightly, off balancing him for a moment.

"Stop it. Not here," She replied, embarrassed and looking around, "You must be a _gentleman_ to me in public."

"Ok, _my Queen_..." Ellis replied humorously, "Let's go home," Ellis placed his hand over Zoe's right shoulder and escorted her out of the building into their waiting Rolls. The two got comfortable and Ellis called to the driver to take them home. Zoe then remembered, something she'd forgotten to do all day, she rummaged through her bag. "Are you alright?" Ellis glanced at her as she frenetically scoured her belongings.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. I'm just...I was supposed to contact one of my clients today. I swear I had their contact info in here." Zoe finally felt the creases of paper between her fingers and produced a green tinted file. She flicked the pages through pages. "Veronica Pyke," Zoe said aloud.

"Someone I should know about?" Ellis questioned.

"Just a personal client I need to keep track of. She's made outlandish claims of a medical breakthrough. Though given the progress she's made, I probably should've just taken it as hearsay," Zoe explained and continued, "she's had a time frame and she's not delivered."

"How come I know nothing of this?" Ellis replied, taken aback by Zoe's 'personal client'.

"She's a _personal client_. Strictly off the books. Call it a...investment of great interest." Neither spoke to each other for the remainder of their journey…

"Introduction of sample yields positive results. By combining the DNA of multiple reptiles I may have finally found the solution." Veronica Pyke said into a Dictaphone, whilst peering deeply into a microscope. Safely within the confines of Dr. Connors lab at Empire State University, Veronica observed her life's work taking shape.

While nothing to the common eye, Veronica's Petri dish bore an ominous substance. A crimson red liquid; blood, though no ordinary blood. Blood was the base for her experiment, engineered with dozens of reptile and amphibian DNA. "The...uh, introduction of various reptilian DNA has managed to greatly accelerate the rate at which limbs regenerate." Veronica continued to speak into her Dictaphone. She stepped up from her desk and slowly hobbled over to a wall of small glass enclosures. Each with a lizard inside; iguanas, young crocodiles, sail fins and more. Veronica stared at one eye to eye, her breath formed on the crystal glass.

"Our lizards have been injected with a supplement of this vaccine and results are...very promising. Where it would take days, weeks for one of these reptiles to regenerate limbs it now only takes minutes." Veronica said with glee but followed with a sigh and paused as she paced back and forth along the wall of glass. "However, I have yet to replicate this same success with humans. I've no subjects to test on nor am I a hundred percent certain it will work. Uh, the DNA structure of a human is much more advanced than that of a lizard. Simulations show promise. However, antibodies in a human would most likely dissipate the vaccine..."

Veronica felt discomforted; she switched off the Dictaphone for a moment and scratched her left shoulder. She pulled her sleeve up, revealing a tight bandage wrapped around her upper bicep. Placing the Dictaphone onto a nearby desk, Veronica took her lab coat off and unravelled the bandage, revealing several spots where needles had been inserted. The spots were sore, veined and bleeding slightly. Veronica scratched the spots gently trying hard not to irritate them; she sat down and scanned the enclosures once more.

All the lizards were just doing what they do; basking in the individual lights that each enclosure had, standing to attention or finishing a morsel that Veronica had fed them. The meagre sound of rustling in the enclosures was the only ambience that filled the room, echoing around the bleach clean lab. Veronica swung her right leg back and forth, producing a mechanical grinding sound. She looked down at her trouser leg and pulled it upwards. Veronica had lengthy legs, fine and slim, however the beauty of her right leg was obscured by cruel machinery; a leg brace, the sign of a broken fibula.

This handicap saddened Veronica; she relaxed her head and shook it regretfully. Releasing the trouser leg Veronica grabbed the Dictaphone again and clicked it on. "I must find a way to bypass the body's natural defences." She clicked off the Dictaphone and slammed it on the desk. Veronica sniffed, "I must find a way." She got up and went back over to her microscope and gazed inside, much to her disgust. "No, no, NO!" She cried out.

Throwing her arms up, she aggressively brushed the microscope aside with great force and let out a tremendous roar. She quickly walked over to her piles of research she'd accumulated. Large amounts of documented research. Veronica took wads of paper and soaked it in chemical vials then proceeded towards a trash bin. Producing her lighter, she tried to set the paper alight. However, Veronica moved too quickly, her brace buckled and cracked. Veronica whelped and came crashing to the ground with a thud. Paper floated in the air and Veronica's lighter slid under a preparation table. She groaned in pain. At that time the lab doors swung open and along came Dr. Connors and saw Veronica chest down on the floor.

"Veronica!" Curt came rushing over and leant down, producing his left arm with hand open. "Come on." Veronica looked up at him, he was visibly concerned. She reached out with her left hand and got a tight grip on Curt's, she steadied herself on her left leg and reached out to the nearest desk. Before trying to put pressure back on her right leg, Veronica applied more strength to her arms and hands. "Come on," Curt repeated again, "sit down." He brought Veronica the nearest stool he could find.

Curt then grabbed Veronica's lab coat and did his best to put it over her shoulder, Veronica pulled the remainder over so it just hung off of her. "There. You OK?" Curt asked Veronica, she didn't say anything. Veronica sighed heavily and faced towards a window, observing the afternoon sky. Curt glanced around the lab, mostly undisturbed besides the carpet of paper, dropped when Veronica collapsed. Some of the lizards had taken an interest in the commotion. Curt smirked and noticed the microscope on the floor, he picked it up and placed it gently back on the desk next to Veronica. Peeping through the microscope, Curt could see why she had gotten angry: "Didn't work again. Did it?" he asked Veronica, she shook her head.

"Again, the serum dissipates, though at a slower rate than previously noted. So at least part of the theory is consistent, faster regeneration and slower to dissipate," Veronica said.

"That's exactly what you wanted though?" Curt replied, wondering where the flaw was.

"Yes, but if it dissipates too quickly then a subject's wound will only partly heal. Could you imagine an amputee, like yourself, walking around with half a deformed arm? That is if the serum even manages to regenerate that much." Veronica acknowledged Curt's missing right arm. An injury he picked up as a war surgeon. "There...must be something. Something I haven't tried yet that could...pfft. I dunno bind the DNA together so they act as one?" Veronica looked up at Curt; he was in deep thought. Veronica stared at Curt, expecting him to say something.

"Uhh. I have something that might help. Only possibly though so...don't get your hopes up." Curt walked to the far end of the lab, where his station was situated. Veronica watched him closely as he opened a series of pressurised lockers, stationed in a cylindrical pillar besides his personal desk. The pillar hissed and wheezed as each individual lock was released by Connors's key. He placed his hand inside for a moment; Veronica leant forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside these lockers. When Curt finally retracted his arm, there was a canister of sorts in his hands, no bigger than a soda bottle. Inside was dark liquid ooze, yet there was something quite strange about it. As Curt sealed the lockers and returned to Veronica, the substance was alive.

"What?" Veronica was stunned as Curt stood before her, producing this canister. "Wha- what is it?"

"Way I figure it's some kind of intergalactic organism." Curt dictated, rotating the canister in his hand, the substance, still wiggling around inside.

"An alien?" Veronica was stunned. She gazed up at Curt's face, he was serious, his face never twitched, not once.

"I'm certain. I've one of my former students coming in to take a look at this, but I've ascertained that this substance, alien or not, is a symbiote."

"Symbiote? Like a parasite?" Veronica asked - assuring her understanding was correct.

"You'd probably know more about this than me," Curt said, putting confidence back into Veronica. He passed the canister to Veronica who gripped it with both hands and turned back to the window, shining light onto the substance to make some kind of analysis. The ooze writhed around inconsistently, tendrils and deformities splayed from its being, clawing and crawling around the claustrophobic container.

"Unlike any parasite I've seen before...but a parasite needs a host to survive." Veronica turned back to Connors, standing, with hand in pocket. "How has it survived?"

"That canister is pressurised, so it hasn't been exposed for extended periods. Plus it's larger than when it first came into my possession."

"Where did you get it? And how did it get 'larger'?"

"A former pupil gave me a small sample, must have been, uh...about two months ago. He wanted my opinion, I didn't think much of it at the time, but I continued to study it." Curt walked over to the window and turned back to face Veronica. "I'd say it was perhaps a few days following that big story about Spiderman and the Sandman at that construction site, you remember that?" Curt asked pointing to Veronica, who just nodded in response, enthralled. "This symbiote, this small organism, managed to reproduce itself. Though, rather than there being two organisms, the original, the one my former pupil gave me uh, _consumed_ the offspring, hence why it is larger than it once was."

"Survival of the fittest?" Veronica replied, quoting the terminology of Herbert Spencer.

"Yeah, you could put it like that." Curt finished. "Anyway, we'd better tidy this up."

"Huh?"

"Good first impression for my returning student?" Curt said as he began picking up the discards of paper from the floor. Veronica took one last look at the canister and placed it on the desk behind her, putting her lab coat back on she crouched down besides Curt and helped him clear away the documents.


	2. Contact

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

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As darkness overtook the streets of New York City street lamps sequentially burst into life, one after the other each cracked and swelled with amber illumination. Rows of headlights bright from bumper to bumper created a parade of gas guzzling machinery and the incoherent chatter combined painted a motion picture of New York's nightlife.

Bryan pulled the car into the near desolate parking lot of ESU. Immobilising the engine, he surveyed the lot; many had the good sense of leaving on time. Bryan wondered if perhaps Curt had gotten fed up with waiting and left, after all, Bryan was overdue. In the passenger seat Regina had dozed off with her head leaning against the window, barely a sound, safe for slow, rhythmic breathing condensing on the window. Bryan reached over and gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"Regina?" No response, only a slight shrug. Bryan applied more force, this time shifting her whole body. Regina startled into life and snorted slightly.

"Wha-," Regina said groggily, her mouth gaping open as she yawned.

"We're here," Bryan said with delight, surveying the surroundings as he removed his belt and took a step outside. Regina rubbed her eyes.

"Can't we just sleep?" Regina asked removing her seatbelt. She unlocked the passenger side door and opened it, "I mean we've been driving for hours."

"I know," Bryan said pacing around. Regina slammed her door shut and went round to the driver's side, slamming it shut too. Bryan turned back to Regina. "But, we're later than I thought and I must speak with Dr. Connors." He took a slight pause to press the lock on his key fob. "If he's still here of course." The car chimed and bolts fell into place as the locks engaged. Regina followed Bryan closely towards the science lab where Dr. Connors would be.

The entire campus was deserted, illuminated by the odd lamp here and there, an eerie silence hung over the open space, broken only by the occasional sound of distant motors. "Wow. This place hasn't changed a bit!" Bryan exclaimed as he looked around at the buildings: the main campus building, the library, physics block and then the science block standing out with its hospital clean motif. White wash paint and sizable windows, this was where Connors lab was when Bryan was a student. With nothing more than a slight grin Bryan made a beeline for the science block.

Regina followed in suit, scanning her surroundings constantly, left, right, the left again and then behind. Every sound, every rustle of the trees unsettled her. She crossed her arms tightly to try and comfort herself, taking deep inhales and exhales, desperately trying to calm herself. She knew all too well that she was exposed to elements. Regina's mental fragility had put her on unnecessary edge.

"Bryan?" Regina said feebly, scanning every corner of her vision, every slight movement in her peripheral put her closer and closer to the brink. Bryan turned back to her and realised what was happening. The stationary figure, head scanning left and right, fear, uncertainty, the tell tale signs of Regina's frailties.

"Shit," Bryan said under his own breath and jogged towards Regina. Regina buried her head into her hands and stood completely still, whimpering slightly. "Ok," Bryan whispered gently to her as he approached and carefully placed his arm around her shoulder. "Nobody's here," he whispered reassuringly, "just you and me. Ok?" Regina took her hands down from her face and nodded slowly, "Good. Stay close and don't be afraid, ok?" Regina took a deep breath and nodded again. Both she and Bryan walked along the concrete slabs and up the steps to the science block with the lights still on inside. Bryan opened the doors with a loud clang as latches snapped open.

A strong smell of masked odours wafted around the corridors, a chemical cleanliness to it, like a hospital. The tiled, laminated floor made the pair's footsteps echo and ring down the passages.

Veronica continued to stare intently at the canister lying on the lab station before her. A single light streamed from the overhanging lamp, the imprisoned being persistently squirmed and crawled around its confines. Veronica drew her face closer to the canister, her nose was practically pressing up against the crystal glass.

"So," Veronica said, "what secrets do you have to share?" She produced a single syringe from her lab coat and pressed the plunger down, ensuring that it compressed completely. The symbiote, within its claustrophobic confinement swelled around, trying to increase the distance between itself and the inquisitive Veronica. She tilted the canister upright and gently undid the seal. The canister made a slight hiss as it decompressed. This enticed the symbiote into a flurry of excitement; applying force to the canister and affecting Veronica's grip as it squirmed uncontrollably. "Dammit," Veronica said under her breath, placing her second hand on the canister desperately trying to hold it still.

The symbiote became so wild that Veronica was forced to grip the canister between her legs, applying as much pressure with her available limbs as she placed the syringe into an open gap. As the needle entered the canister, the symbiote took little interest. However, once the needle pierced the purple mass it exploded into a frenetic flurry of forceful motions, causing the canister to writhe and shake in single, powerful movements. Grunting and groaning, Veronica retracted the plunger on the syringe, filling it with the ooze of the creature, a motionless liquid almost separate from the symbiote itself.

The symbiote became uncontrollable and Veronica was forced to seal up the canister and place it back onto the desk. The canister hissed shut and Veronica gently placed it back within the beam of the overhanging lamp. Veronica examined the substance once more and with syringe in hand went back to her microscope; she had prepared another sample of her serum ready for testing.

Veronica retrieved her Dictaphone once again, pressing the record button she began to speak. "I have only one more chance. If this does not succeed then..." Veronica paused momentarily and glanced down at the syringe, the ooze was still motionless. Beside the microscope laid the most recent result of her serum: a moss green sludge in a specialised vial. Veronica knew exactly what had to be done, if Connors was correct, the symbiote would bond with the serum and keep the cells together as it enters the blood stream.

With no doubt in her mind, Veronica stabbed the syringe into the vial and compressed the plunger. The introduction of the symbiote cells caused an immediate, visual change. Symbiote cells overtook the serum, bonding with it tremendously. Purple cells seemed to merge with the green and expand. Veronica was baffled; the contents of the syringe had overtaken a majority of the serum through a form of bonding. Slowly, Veronica picked up the Dictaphone and pulled it back to her mouth. "Uh, the uh...'_alien_' cells seem to have bonded, or absorbed the serum. I'd say upon first observation a ratio of 1:4 is actually the original serum. Perhaps even 1:10," Veronica released a sample onto the microscope's Petri dish and observed as the serum did its work.

Veronica didn't speak, didn't breath, remaining in total silence. What unfolded before her was exactly what she desired, she gasped with delight! "It worked; the new cells are bound together and have no way to dissipate. The parasitic nature of the new cells ensures that they work as one, almost in a dominant and controlling way." Veronica took a moment to catch her breath, letting out a sigh of relief. "The only thing left..." she paused, looking at her left shoulder, "Is a suitable test subject." Veronica finished, turning off her Dictaphone and placing it back into her coat pocket.

A sudden click echoed around the room, causing Veronica to jolt upright and swiftly peer back towards the lab's solitary door. As the door swung open Veronica reached over to the desk where she placed the vial, in one quick movement she slipped it into the pocket of her lab coat, bolting to attention as she faced the now open door. Dr. Connors emerged from the corridor; Veronica tried looking as casual as possible, with her left hand in pocket and her right in plain sight.

"Veronica, you're still here?" Connors said, somewhat surprised as he stepped through the doorway. "Look who I found wandering the halls," Two figures followed him inside, a young man and woman. The man was as plain as they come: average height, average built, nothing beyond extraordinary. Following behind, the woman was only slightly shorter, appearing rather tense based on the body language displayed.

Veronica, lowering her brow was less than impressed, she was expecting something more. "Ah, introductions, Veronica, this is Bryan Cain." Bryan waved from across the room and smirked slightly. Veronica did not respond and Connors continued, "...and Bryan this is Veronica Pyke," He said, completely ignoring the woman in tow. It wasn't until Veronica started staring at her that Bryan opened his mouth, looking behind himself then back to Veronica.

"This is my sister, Regina," Regina looked up at Veronica and stared blankly. The whole world seemed to stand still. There was something, something just connected between the two, whether admiration, intrigue, or a mixture of both, neither averted their gaze. Veronica started walking towards them, producing her left hand she spoke.

"Pleasure," She said shaking Bryan's hand, "Dr. Connors has told me a lot about you." She then turned to Regina who continued to stare, unnerving Veronica, she felt somewhat freaked out, but never the less, shook her hand.

Time continued to stand still for Regina; something was making her feel uncomfortable, however something was different. Regina often avoids interactions with others, yet here she was, throwing herself straight back in. Perhaps it was something more? "We should get to know each other later." Veronica finished, looking at Regina first, then back to Bryan as she retracted her hand.

"Yes. I hate to push this forward a bit, but we've had a long trip and we're both very tired. So, ah, can we get this done as quickly as possible." Bryan said clapping his hands together, which reverberated off the walls of the lab, causing a number of the lizards to glare at Bryan.

"Ok," Connors replied noticing how taken aback Veronica was following Bryan's urgency, "We'll have a quick look and conduct a full investigation tomorrow." He guided his former student to where Veronica had placed the canister. Veronica bit her lip with anxiety hoping that Connors didn't notice anything amiss. Regina continued staring at Veronica, watching her slight head movements follow Connors and Bryan across the room. Regina was trying to understand her.

Veronica was at least a few inches taller than Regina, her dark blonde hair tied up at the back of her head, held together with a moss green bobble. A lab coat hung loose over Veronica's figure, displaying little of her proportions, an untucked green tank top and a pair of denim jeans. Veronica began to move over to where Connors and Bryan had begun analysing the canister. Regina followed closely behind, understanding little of the inaudible ramblings between Bryan and Connors.

As the pair continued to mutter and discuss the organism, Regina sat part slumped on one of the lab stools looking around the room and scanning every possible inch. Veronica turned back on numerous occasions; Regina took no notice of this until Veronica decided to stand right next to her. Veronica followed what Regina was looking at until she'd finished at the glass confinements filled with lizards. Regina seeing Veronica in her periphery decided to say something.

"Cool lizards," Regina said, feeling stupid inside with nothing better to say.

"Uh, yeah," Veronica said quite perplexed, still trying to understand this woman, she was at least late teens, even early twenties. So why exactly had she come with her brother all the way to New York. "What do you do Regina?" she asked.

"Huh?" Regina replied, paying minimal attention before looking at Veronica.

"What do you do? College? Work?" Veronica articulated, speaking clearer and louder. Regina just drifted her head away and shook it. Veronica glanced over her shoulder back at Bryan, who was ever absorbed in the symbiote, "So...why come all this way?" Veronica said as she leant onto the nearby lab station, "I mean Chicago is a way to come just for the sake of your brother." She glanced back at Bryan and smirked. Humouring the blatant enthusiasm Bryan displayed through jerky, almost immediate motions. Bryan was switching between samples and the microscope, whilst still talking to Connors standing there, listening.

"I have nobody else," Regina replied, hanging her head. Veronica's expression went from snarky smile to blank in a second, she turned back to Regina. Arms lying across her legs, head hung low, short brown hair hanging down, curtaining Regina's face from Veronica's view. Regina sniffled slightly.

"No parents?" Veronica asked in a soft tone. Regina shook her head, the fibres of her hair flailing slightly, gently reflecting light into Veronica's gaze. "Sorry..." Veronica placed her hand on Regina's shoulder. This caused an immediate reaction as Regina's head shot upright and stared at Veronica's hand. Veronica quickly retracted her arm seeing that Regina was feeling uncomfortable; realising all too well there was more to this girl than was being let on. Refusing to cut open wounds in what Veronica felt was a broken person said nothing more and just let her be.

"Hey, Regina!" Bryan called out, still staring down the microscope and waving his hand in Regina's general direction. Dismounting her stool, Regina paced towards Bryan, shooting an uncomfortable glance at Veronica as she passed.

"What? Can't we go soon?" Regina asked, crossing her arms over one another in a very enclosed stance.

"Yes just...y- you have to see this." Bryan looked away from the microscope and looked back at Regina, smirking from one cheek to the other, "It's _really_ cool." He took a step back from the station to allow Regina to gaze into the microscope. Staring down the scope, Regina lowered her brow, intrigued as Bryan made slight adjustments.

"Uh. What am I looking at here?" Regina said uncomfortably as she tried adjusting the microscope herself. She could feel the nearby presence of Veronica; she had worked her way over to the group.

"An '_alien'_," Bryan said, emphasising his excitement and elation. As the scope eventually focused Regina saw what Bryan was so excited about, a purple mass that seemed very full of life as it writhed around in Regina's view.

"It's no H. R. Giger alien that's for sure," Regina said mockingly, causing Bryan to smirk even more. "Seems very alive though," pulling her head back from the scope.

"Maybe it likes you!" Bryan exclaimed, provoking Regina into shoving him gently. Bryan turned to face Connors, "This is much better than expected! It's phenomenal!" He continued with elation.

"Yes, it is," Connors replied with reservation, "However I feel it's time we call it a night."

"Alright," Bryan quickly responded and swiftly faced Regina then back to Connors again, "Tomorrow then?" The pair bid farewell to Veronica and Dr. Connors as Bryan escorted Regina out into the corridor. Dr. Connors started to pick up the sample from the microscope and carefully returned it to the canister. The entity continuing to crawl around in its confines appeared more settled now that both Regina and Bryan had left the room.

"I'll tidy up here doctor," Veronica said pacing towards him, placing her hands firmly on the canister. Dr. Connors was feeling quite exhausted and responded.

"Fine," releasing the canister, Veronica pulled it towards her person, "Ensure that the specimen is secure and lock the doors behind you, ok?" Connors was vocally concerned, possibly paranoia, however he had no reason to be concerned. He trusted Veronica; she had finished up before without incident. Perhaps it was the return of his former student, or perhaps the revelations that Veronica had witnessed. Connors stepped outside the lab and pulled the door to, slightly ajar as he walked down the corridor.

Canister in hand Veronica dashed over to Connor's desk as quickly as she was able to. Placing the canister on the station she pulled out the vial from her lab coat and placed it besides the cylindrical device. Veronica slipped her lab coat off and let it slump to the floor in a ragged clump, making a slight click as it impacted. She stepped round the desk and removed a specialised injection device, designed specifically for the vial Veronica had procured. She perched herself on the desk, removing her leg brace carefully she discarded it atop her lab coat.

"Now or never," Veronica said to herself, clicking the vial into the device and twisting it around until it was secure. Clenching her left fist tight and tensing her arm, Veronica took a deep breath and placed the device just below her shoulder, she flinched slightly as the needle pierced her skin. Then she pressed down on the device with her thumb, it clicked and the contents of the vial began to deplete. Within a matter of seconds the entire contents had emptied and Veronica exhaled deeply.

Removing the device, Veronica placed it down on the desk forgetting completely about the nearby canister and its contents. Her hand brushed the canister which began to roll, the distance it covered was minuscule, but Veronica had placed it close to the edge. As it fell, Veronica cried out under her breath, "Shit!" Falling to her knees she tried to catch the canister, but it was all for nought. Veronica's collapsing knees managed to stun her; helplessly witnessing the canister shatter from severe impact. Its contents quickly crawled away from Veronica as she tried to reach out and grab it. "No, no, no," Veronica said to herself as she dragged herself to her feet.

The symbiote had crawled its way underneath a series of desks and out of sight. Veronica walked in the general direction of where the creature went, ignoring the fact that she was indeed walking without her leg brace! Veronica got down on all fours and then onto her belly, attempting to look under the desks. After crawling under a few, dirt began to cling to her tank top as she went. Veronica managed to find her lighter which she dropped earlier. Since light was failing to reach the undersides of the desks, Veronica flicked the lighter lid open and struck the ignition, after two tries it flickered into life.

The scant illumination helped little as Veronica heard the unmistakable sound of the lab door slamming shut. Something had caused it to shut and Veronica had a feeling on what, she slowly crawled herself out from under the desks until she could stand up and looked towards the door, now shut firmly. A sudden flurry of activity captured Veronica's attention; the lizards in their containments began to scurry around their enclosures, some hissing and snarling at Veronica.

She began to cough as she approached the lizards; each reacted differently as she got closer. Some scurrying, others snarling but one just stood there motionless, staring directly at Veronica. She brought her eye line to the lizard, glaring at it. Staring intently at the lizard, Veronica began tilting her head as she coughed more vigorously. The lizard followed Veronica's head movements. A slight reflection in the glass revealed Veronica's worst fears, one of her eyes bore a yellow pigment and her pupil had narrowed. Veronica began to spew into an uncontrollable coughing fit, every part of her body began to ache and splinter as if something was trying to break free...

Going on instinct, the symbiote leapt from its shattered container. Seeking nothing more than to survive, the creature quickly crawled along the lab floors being pursued by the green-chested woman. The woman scrawled around on the floor, ghosting the symbiote. Rushing towards the narrow gap in the lab door, it could feel the air of freedom. Flailing and crawling as it went; it caught the door and slammed it shut.

The symbiote had escaped. That young woman who had gazed at it a short while ago was the target, a perfect host. The imprint of this being began guiding the symbiote around the corridors, the demand for a host made the creature hungry, it must survive. Continuing to follow the path of its subject the symbiote finally reached the exit and there, two figures slowly walking out. The male walking ahead slightly, as the young woman followed closely behind.

The final doors opened and the two began to step outside, this was now or never for the symbiote! Quickly it flung its entire mass down the corridor, accelerating as fast as possible, the man had stepped outside and was beyond view; however the girl was still in perfect view. She took a step beyond the doors threshold as they began to close, the target began to disappear as the doors continued to slam shut...

Regina paused for a moment and turned back to the lab and saw the last light vanish behind the doors. Turning back around, Regina followed Bryan, completely unaware of her hitchhiker, now moulded to the soles of her trainers.


	3. The Ugly Fates

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

The dial tones kept ringing, ringing and ringing, a repetitious, repulsive sound that grinded Zoe's soul. Eventually the ringing stopped and a recorded message followed: 'Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Veronica Pyke. I'm afraid I can't answer the phone right now, so please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.'

"Dammit, just answer already," Zoe fumed as she hung up the phone. A hand came from beyond Zoe's view and plucked the phone from her. Zoe faced Ellis, grinning.

"Leave it now. Let's just go into the other room and..." Ellis' tall figure gestured towards an open doorway leading to the bedroom.

"Not now, Ellis." Zoe sighed in annoyance at Ellis' 'request.' She slipped Ellis' hand from her shoulder and retrieved her phone before pressing redial again. Just as before, she listened to every single dreary dial tone followed by the voice message, "Hi you've reached..." Zoe didn't bother listening any further and hung up immediately. Zoe fiercely bit her lower lip in frustration, in an attempt to prevent herself from cursing the heavens.

Ellis had been pacing around slightly whilst Zoe was trying to dial again and was himself, checking his phone, half expecting something to happen. Zoe vaguely heard Ellis repeating what sounded like, 'not now.' His expression malformed; his brow was low and his lip was jaunty. He walked round behind the desk and sat down on the large, regal arm chair, stretching upwards; a throne fit for a king. Ellis sat upright, hunched over the desk with phone in hand.

"Expecting something?" Zoe asked in a sarcastic turn of phrase. Ellis looked up at Zoe blankly for a split second before turning his gaze back to his phone.

"Uh, no, nothing...nothing important," Ellis answered a suppressed tone. Zoe, unconvinced responded forcefully.

"You could have fooled me." Ellis stood up from the chair and without glancing from his phone headed towards the door and removed one of his coats from the rack stood nearby. "Hey, where are you going?!" Zoe asked furiously, becoming increasingly suspicious at Ellis' sudden urgency.

"I'm really sorry." He looked back for a moment, briefly opening his mouth, pausing and then continuing, "This is something I _must_ do." Ellis went back to Zoe, kissing her gently on her forehead before rushing out the doorway. Zoe began to pursue, but opted to remain, riddled with doubt and concern. She paced back and forth as her temperament grew and grew, her body boiled with hate and disgust.

Zoe cracked out a finely designed bottle of whiskey from the lone drinks cabinet and quickly poured herself a glass. Just what was Ellis hiding? Zoe thought. The one single topic kept circling around in her mind, betrayal, was Ellis having an affair? Clichéd as it was, Zoe could not think of anything else, the secrecy, his reluctance to open up. Zoe noticed this increasing change to his personality over the past months. Something was pressuring him, something that he could not tell Zoe. All Zoe wanted to do was to get a straight answer from Ellis; yet, would the answer give her any peace? The thought eroded her soul to no end.

Bringing the glass to her lips, Zoe took a deep sip, feeling the tingling sensation of strong liquor in her mouth and swallowed, gasping and hunching over the drinks cabinet she glanced around the room, decorated elaborately with masks, oriental weapons and samurai lore. Zoe's mind became a blur yet she poured herself another drink, her body struggled to cooperate with her mind.

Everything seemed to spin and every movement seemed very difficult for her. Zoe was never one to hold her drink and she became intoxicated with one full glass of strong whiskey, yet she poured another. She stumbled with glass in hand over to the large chair and slumped into the throne's embrace. Zoe swirled the glass, shining it's amber complexion in the light, grinned and took a swift swig, "Bastard!" she yelled and threw the glass across the room, shattering on the wall, some traces of liquor dripped down, staining it.

Zoe took one last glance at her phone, no change; she sneered and tossed it onto the desk. With little strength and cooperation from her body Zoe began to drift off to sleep in the comfort of the large chair. A faint sound humming in her ears, a distinct sound of jet engines, Zoe's drunken body ignored the rumbling and remained still. Though just beyond the windows of the penthouse office, a silhouetted figure flew past...

"It's not much, but it will do for now," Bryan said as he surveyed the interior of the apartment room that he and Regina would be staying in. It was as bleak as you could imagine, lifeless colour, fading beige walls and clearly aging carpentry, along with tanned floorboards from clear overuse, or lack of care. Regina walked to the center of the smallish living area and scanned around herself, noting every blemish and sordid aspect, she scrunched her face up in disgust.

"You live here?" Regina asked with lacking enthusiasm. She turned back to Bryan, just disappearing out of view, "Oh no you don't!" She called out, knowing full well what Bryan was up to, "I call dibs on the biggest room!" She dashed towards Bryan and bolted into the nearest room, which happened to be the most spacious.

A regular single bed in the middle of the room, a single large balcony window which led out to what could only be best described as a flower ornament, a narrow perch with some metal railings surrounding it. As Regina placed her baggage on the bed Bryan poked his head around the corner and looked in through the doorway.

"Fine, make yourself comfortable," he grinned and turned back down the corridor to the next bedroom. "Good night," he called out opening the door to his bedroom. Bryan had good feelings on how Regina was reacting to this change; he couldn't help but smile. This energetic attitude was exactly how Bryan remembered Regina before he left for New York prior.

His only recent experiences have been that of fear, rejection and seclusion, a true outcast. All the same, Bryan felt rather cowardly in his decision, running from his past, burying it as quickly as possible. He was desperately trying to move on. Deep down he felt that they should have stayed in Chicago longer, come to terms with their loss better. Find better help for Regina. However once the opportunity to leave it as far behind as possible arose he took it, dragging his estranged sister in tow.

Bryan turned out his case and began unpacking. As things appeared at present, Bryan felt he was making all the right choices...

Regina kicked off her trainers and socks; they flew across the room before colliding with the wall and hitting the floor boards with a clunk. Regina flung onto her back, lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

She lay there contemplating the possibilities of living in New York, the new start for herself. What she could do. What possibilities lay before her? Perhaps she should get to know Veronica? She appeared pleasant enough and she definitely meant well. Just maybe, Regina would warm up to her and others better if she socialised. It would be a challenge, but Regina was prepared to try it for her own sake. Regina breathed deeply as she began to drift off to sleep.

The hours passed and the night began to flourish and as a mild summer's night breeze crept in gently through the gaps in the porch door. Something stirred on the floor boards. Regina's trainers trembled slightly as a being detached itself from its vessel. The trainers rustled slightly as the creature, clawed its way along the floor, crawling slowly and intently towards the bed.

A low squelching noise came from the symbiote as it gradually crawled towards the sleeping woman, knowing what it must do, what has to be done to survive. Its organic mass contorted and stretched forming different shapes. The alien scaled the closest leg of the four post bed onto the mattress. There lay Regina, slowly breathing in deep sleep, her chest gently elevating and descending. Dreaming, or rather drifting into a nightmare...

"I couldn't do anything." Her own voice reverberated around her head, "I was weak." The visage in her head, the faces: mom, dad... and _t__hat_ driver. Other memories poured into Regina's mind, memories of laughing, torment and past incidents.

"_What a creep__._" But that's not true...

"_Some say she's..._" But that's not true either...Is it?

Tendrils began gripping onto Regina's foot; purple mass began to expand worming into every pore as it travelled up her leg. The gentle touch didn't disrupt Regina's sleep and she continued to toss and turn in her own, personal nightmare.

"_They were wrong..._" said a distinct, malicious, distorted voice.

"No." The visages twisted, nightmarish faces, devilish grins, everybody cackling loudly at Regina. Fanged expressions, the faces of her parents, now engulfed by deathly images give Regina grave discomfort, "I could've saved you!" she sobbed.

"_You can do what you will..._" those same distinct vocal tones, very much on the verge of something terrifying. The symbiote crawled around under her clothing and melded with her skin. Waist, stomach and legs were now entirely covered in non-relenting alien mass. What was once no larger than a person's hand had now engulfed half of Regina's body.

"You didn't listen!" Regina's will crumbling as her mind became increasingly distraught, "I could've saved you!" she cried again, getting ever louder in her ears.

"_Nobody did. Did they?_"

"_Your family._"

"_Your 'friends'._"

Regina began tossing and turning, from mental pain and physical discomfort, the symbiote had now covered her chest and arms.

"_Those fools doubted you._" Regina recalled her incident at college, everyone laughing and tormenting her.

"_Creep._"

"_Freak._"

"_Loner._"

"_You showed them all the truth. Remember?"_

"I don't want to..." Regina doubted in her mind, "I wasn't..."

"_Don't deny it! Remember._" The tone varying between psychotic and calm. Regina reluctantly recalled the incident. That girl, she did nothing wrong, really. She just happened to tip Regina over the edge. Roughly the same age as Regina at the time. Her long, golden, free-flowing hair, face plastered with makeup, dolled up with quintessential cosmetics.

"She had it coming..." Regina thought, "But..." Tendrils latched onto Regina's head, engulfing it completely, her brown hair being sucked under the mass which began sprouting into outstretched tendrils from the back of her skull.

"Yes." Regina agreeing with herself, "Yes, she did have it coming." That girl, her face, splashed with blood, her 'perfect' nose, twisted and malformed. Regina lost control and went berserk, smashing the girls face with clenched fists, demonstrating a frenzied and dark side she didn't even realise existed. Her nose fractured after one solid hit and Regina continued to pound, causing bruising and the opening wounds all over her face. It wasn't until staff hauled Regina off the girl's body that she realised what she'd done...

"_T__his is, __**you**__!_" The voice faded from Regina's mind, but she did feel discomfort in that its presence remained.

Sudden blackness followed and shortly after, Regina's mind lifted and a sense of freedom filled her mind. Regina felt the undeniable sensation of freefalling, the cool summer air rushing through her hair, a sense of power, strength and purpose. For at least the night Regina could feel all her burdens lifted, her nightmare became something she could only imagine in her wildest dreams. The thrill of flying through New York City ran through her mind as she prayed this dream would never end...

"What...ugh." Veronica struggled to get words out, her insides burned with pain, bones felt like they were tearing apart and her skin feeling like it was constantly being impaled. Something was trying to rip through, "What...gahh, is happening?" Veronica tried to understand what was happening, but it was clear, she had been too ambitious and ignored consequences.

Desiring nothing more than getting results as quickly as possible, Veronica was rapidly becoming the stark result of her boldness. How could Veronica ever comprehend what kind of effects the alien substance would have on the serum? What it would do to her body? Veronica never experienced pain quite like it, even breaking her leg paled in comparison to what she was experiencing. Veronica clutched her entire body as the pain became increasingly unbearable dropping her lighter in process, still burning.

A slight tingle in Veronica's arm caused her concern, her arm felt stiff and unusual, her facial expression warped into terror as her left arm bore the unmistakable appearance of scales! Green, reptilian scales covered the entirety of her arm which appeared to be sprouting from her skin. Veronica took a glance down her tank top and noticed that her torso had also become covered in scales. A sudden lapse in the pain gave Veronica a chance to briefly collect her thoughts and try to conceive a way to recover herself, but she struggled.

Veronica's mind was being clouded and conflicting, animalistic instincts made it impossible for her to concentrate. "Argh. It...it couldn't be." The urge for hunger kept creeping into her mind, the need to hunt. Veronica feared that she was indeed becoming the same lizards as she kept, yet something much more terrifying. The lizards staring all in unison at this woman as she transformed.

Scales continuing to congregate over Veronica's body firmed up to a sturdy hide. Now mostly covered with scales, Veronica's face became a distinct green. Tingling in her hair made Veronica scratch feverishly at her scalp, pulling out mass clumps of hair, in shock, Veronica released the clumps, each strand descending in unison. Large strands piled up on the lab's marble flooring.

Veronica tried desperately to try and get words out, but found it increasingly difficult, like someone was tugging on her tongue or choking on her own tonsils, Veronica could only cough and splutter as she desperately tried to formulate words. More changes occurred, nails formed into claws and her body began to crack as bones reformed in the serums image. Her tongue lengthened, splitting at the tip becoming a forked, reptilian tongue. Monstrous growls were all that Veronica could produce as the pain grew ever increasingly intense.

Bulk increased, muscles formed and alterations made her stand at least eight feet tall, causing her clothes to tear from her body. Shreds fell onto the laboratory floor along with the remains of her hair, slowly smouldering and smoking, frazzling into ash. Veronica tried to move her new body as best as she could to try and recover her humanity, it was all for naught as she collapsed onto all fours and began hissing and wheezing as the last severe pain came surging through her body.

Arching her back, Veronica felt something bursting out from her back. Veronica wailed and hissed loudly as spines punctured out from her back forming a sail; the pain persisted as many more erupted from her body. Frills and spines began protruded from her brow and over her skull as the tip of her spine began to extend beyond the physical boundaries of her body. Sprouting out beyond her lower back Veronica's spine extended several feet, forming a bulky, yet flexible tail, complete with a full length sail.

One final coup de grace to Veronica's transformation came in one final pained expression on her face as her entire skull protruded forward into a formidable jaw, cracking as her face reformed into this beastly visage, complete with rows of razor sharp teeth. Once a beautiful woman in her twenties had now become a monstrous creature of impossible proportions.

Instinct caused this newly born creature to survey the surroundings, something was amiss, as rational thinking repeatedly tried to worm its way into the creature's mind. Veronica was still aware, albeit in the slightest margin. Her thoughts conflicting with the beasts instincts caused mass confusion. Veronica, in a brief lapse of control came to the startling realisation of what she had become.

A fearsome roar followed as she stood on all fours, this larger than life reptile, huge in length, flailing her tail round and round in frustration and anger, or perhaps fear in what she had become. Crashes and smashes followed as desks splintered and stations were destroyed. Chunks of tarnished wood and steel legs flew across the room. Chemical flasks were flung from one side of the lab to the other, many leaving trails and puddles all around.

Veronica's stray clothing shards began to ignite and soon the chemical trails unleashed a wall of fire around the lab. Within seconds the entire lab became engulfed in flames, causing distress and panic among the enclosed lizards and the destructive Veronica. On instinct the creature pounced to the enclosures and swung its mighty tail at the glass, shattering many of the enclosures. The lizards that were free began scurrying as quickly as they could out of their enclosures to best evade the rapidly growing flames. A number of the lizard's latched onto this She-Lizard; Veronica herself bounded through the flames and out the nearest window, growling loudly with relief from escaping the intense heat and flames of the lab.

With little understanding of its surroundings, She-Lizard, with companions clinging tightly, roared loudly in the amber lit night of the city before scurrying onto the rooftops and walls of the Empire State University to survey a safe-haven for itself...

"If you keep calling me at times like this my wife'll get suspicious," Ellis said, as he awaits his mystery caller's reply.

"No. She doesn't know. She doesn't have to get involved, she'd never... Is it really that bad? Of all your 'associates' why me...I'm not in the best position to do that, she's watching most of the time...Is that so? No you don't have to. Trust me; I'll take care of it." Ellis finished with a heavy sigh. Ellis turned back the way he came, heading back home...


	4. First Instinct

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

Bricks and plaster crackled under the claws of Veronica scurrying along rooftops and walls of New York City's suburban apartments. The monstrous figure filled with raw instincts launched itself from rooftop to rooftop, chipping away with every step and bound it took.

A pause and Veronica lifts her snout high, sniffing into the wind, catching a faint scent of nourishment, a strong smell of fear, weakness. Like a hunter, Veronica followed this trail, scaling more buildings. The scant citizens that still populated the suburban streets could only catch vague glimpses of the large silhouetted creature as it reached each subsequent rooftop and beyond. Hissing and panting, Veronica continued to direct her bulk with locomotive efficient movements to accelerate and sprint as quickly as possible.

Lizard's muscles rippled with each impact to the ground her nostrils opening and closing steadily with every intake of air. The sail standing to attention, maintaining Veronica's balance with every movement and sharp turn she made and her frill folding back as the wind brushed over her scales. For every metre she covered the scent got increasingly stronger and stronger as the source drew closer and closer...

Veronica stopped, perching herself atop the cornerstone of a general store's rooftop, the glow of a nearby lamp gently illuminated her snout. Her sight narrowed as she stared deathly at her prey, a ragged looking man, knocking back what appeared to be a scotch bottle in a paper bag. The strong smell of alcohol and dismal hygiene had attracted Veronica to him. He bore a slight beard, his hair hanging over his ears in dirty ragged streaks under a repulsive woollen hat. Grime and stains clung to him like a plague; clothes torn, faded and caked in dirt.

This man stood alone by a slightly smouldering barrel, producing a barely comforting light which crackled and popped periodically as the flames danced and cinders escaped the burning amber glow.

Veronica flung her bulk across the rooftop to the opposite side of the street, crawling along the roof to the ledge directly above the man and peered over, bottle in one hand, one palm outwards towards the fire, oblivious to the eight foot something creature looming over him. Veronica positioned one claw over the edge to grip the wall, preparing to descend towards her prey. The man sneezed, causing Veronica to pause momentarily, her frill splayed outwards in surprise and her mouth open slightly, a reflex action.

He took his free hand and wiped his nostrils onto the back and up his sleeve, snorting loudly as he went. He murmured something under his breath and turned to walk further down the alley, not once did he look up. Veronica allowed her prey to gain as much distance as possible between them, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. Despite his mind swimming and failing to orientate his body, he continued to take systematic sips from the bag wrapped bottle, as if it were a mandatory course of action.

Meagre amounts of dust lifted from the cement floor as Veronica landed gently, scurrying her body to one side of the ally casually observing her prey's movements. She slinked from one side of the alley to the other in irregular diagonal movements, carefully observing the man as he gradually disappeared into the darkness. Attuned senses meant that Veronica did not fail in tracking the grimy figure. Her eyes seemed to record the negative space and convert it into a mental mind map, she could picture where everything was, just by feeling along the ground, sensing out what was in her immediate vicinity; walls built high, forming a three sided arena.

The scent of the man acted as a homing beacon and Veronica stuck to him like an arrow, knowing full well that escape would be impossible for him. Something was amiss as the man drifted out of sight, Veronica, or what remained of her obtained another scent, similar like the man but fainter, almost sweeter. Interpreting the smells, Veronica realised that there was another person down this alley. Relishing the thought of what could only be humanly described as a buffet; Veronica slinked into the shadows and rounded the corner as the end of the alley came into view.

The alley walls created an imposing threat to any poor soul who'd happen to find themselves trapped, no small gaps and minimal manoeuvring space. A claustrophobic and quick end it would become if Lizard could exploit the element of surprise. The odds greatly stacked in her favour, weak, disorientated prey, they would put up little fight. Clinging to the shadows and taking slow deliberate movements along the wall, Lizard positioned herself right above the two souls, both hopelessly unaware of her presence.

Coughing and wheezing, the two desperately trying to warm themselves, one stood upright, bottle still in hand just kept taking sips until his vessel was dry. The other was hunched down in a ball, leaning against the wall, just trying to keep him warm, his breathing, laboured and slow as he drifted into a nod.

A sudden gust impacted his head. The air was calm and the funnel like alley previously had no wind fly down it. Again a sudden gust flew into his head, much harder this time, blowing his woollen hat clean from his crown. This caused the man much concern, his breathing turned to shallow breathes and terror as he heard a low growling noise. Another gust impacted his bare head, the strongest yet...

He looked up slowly. Sudden terror and a deafening shriek piercing the night as a large gaping maw brimmed with serrated scissor teeth gouged at the man's skull. He screamed and wailed in pain as Veronica clamped his head between her jaws. The man continued with muffled screams, his head deep within Veronica's vice-like mouth, blood red nectar gushing from within splashing onto the other intoxicated soul.

Veronica flailed her head back and forth in quick, forceful motions. Bones cracked as the force caused the man's neck to break; his arms fell limp at his sides and followed his body as he swung back and forth like a ragdoll. In drunken disbelief the other man just stared, mouth gaping wide open paralysed by sheer terror, unable to move. Veronica stopped shaking her head and stared directly face-to-face with the hysteric man, he began to back away slowly.

His friend's body remained hanging from Veronica's jaw, head, still inside the mouth, blood streaming from the creature's maw, down the body and ragged clothes of the limp body, trickling and dripping onto the concrete ground.

In one big, forceful crunch, the creature snapped through the man's neck, dismembering the torso and below from its head. The body dropped, piling onto the floor in a contorted fashion. A loud gargle and bile spewed forth from the disbelieving bystander's mouth. His reversing motored into a light jog then a stumbling sprint, turning around he ran towards the alley's opening.

Refusing to allow its prey to escape Veronica made chase. Relinquishing the man's bloodied, decapitated head atop his own body, Veronica launched herself from the wall with great strength as she witnessed the drunken man disappear around the corner again.

"HELP! IT'S A MONSTER!" cried the man as he stumbled left and right towards the alley opening. As the asphalt of the road drew closer and closer, the man felt like he'd managed to save himself, he began to grin. A shadow leapt over him, dropping down in front of him. Veronica blocked the alley.

"NO! No, no!" he cried out arms raised, slowly backing away into the alley, into the shadows. The Lizard stalked him, observing him closely, "Nice, uh, doggy?" His heart pounding heavily, eyes wide as possible, slight shiver in his movements. One moment of misfortune and he stumbles, collapsing onto his rear, the thud causes Veronica to react. Frill splaying outwards and mouth gaping wide open bearing terrible teeth, Veronica pounces.

The man screams aloud as he feebly raises his arms to protect himself. Veronica comes crashing down on top of him and lurches her snout forward ready to take a bite out of his face. A sudden force against Veronica's rear launches her off of the fellow; she wails in sharp pain and crashes onto her chest a few feet down the alley. Looking up, she roars as a figure had launched itself high into the sky and lands on a nearby rooftop. This figure stands there perfectly poised, staring at her, taunting Veronica, enticing her to attack. With a deafening roar, Veronica charges down the alley and lunges herself into the sky; vaulting over the walls steamrolling towards the figure...

A ground shaking crash followed, as Veronica is forced to the ground mere feet in front of the figure. Strong pulsating matter had gripped her around the torso and snout, which effortlessly flung her to the ground. As the matter retracted slowly towards the figure, the Lizard snarled at the sight of this thing: a feminine figure, fully clad in what would appear to be a purple, skin tight suit. However the suit seemed alive, tendrils and lengths seemed to randomly creep out from the skin, flailing to and fro with peculiar shaped, deathly white eyes glistening in the moonlight.

Veronica pounced, tackling the figure, lifting her off the roof. During midflight the creature latched material to nearby buildings and managed to over compensate the Lizard's tackle. Causing her to launch further upwards into the sky, offsetting Lizard which followed with a tremendous kick to her torso, blasting her to the ground with a thundering thud. Lizard lay squirming momentarily as the figure acrobatically landed before her. The fury of being played like a toy enraged the Lizard. She rapidly charged into the figure, off-balancing it, becoming the hard end of a battering-ram. Lizard charged into the nearest building headfirst, smashing the purple figure into it.

The figure groaned slightly as bricks and mortar crumbled down onto it. Nearby pedestrians ran for cover, screaming in panic as the two creatures continued fighting. A handful of bystanders gazed in wonder as the purple creature pries open the massive jaws of the Lizard and forces her back. The Lizard wailed and panted as it tried to slam it's mouth shut, knowing that if she caught a hand, it would surely break it. However, the purple figure's strength was impossible to break; her body seemed to compensate for the additional pressure from the reptile's sheer jaw strength. Her arms had bulked up slightly in order to account for this.

But the creature was raw and unbalanced; she couldn't hold the Lizard in a single direction and went from one side to the other in a desperate wrestle for dominance. Lizard took advantage of this. Whilst applying as much strength into its bite she whipped her huge tail around smacking the creature off her feet and to the side, narrowly avoiding her hand being caught in the rapidly closing maw. Spines puncturing the creature's skin left gaping slash holes where fleshy tones became visible, the 'wounds' repaired in an instant. One brave bystander was recording the whole encounter on his mobile phone, gawking in amazement at the spectacle.

"Whoa! Just like in the comic books," he exclaimed, "Bugle would pay top dollar for this!" The twisted acrobatic display between the two continued as Lizard continuously tried to cover ground, trying to slash, bite and whip, moving as quickly as she could. Whilst the purple figure continually utilised its versatility and advantage at range.

Tendrils whipped and smacked the Lizard around like a doll, slinging it around into buildings and into the sky. Launching hardened pulps of purple mass at the Lizard only seemed to rebound straight off its firm carapace. Clawing at it had little effect also. The creature knew all too well that it would have to use the Lizard's own momentum against it and keeping it as far away from her as possible. However, a lapse in concentration allowed the Lizard to lift the creature off her feet, smashing through a construction barrier and down a gaping hole in the street; the pair fell into the New York sewers...

Lizard and the purple creature tussled in the air as they fell, both trying to get the better of the other. The Lizard continuously trying to bite off the creature's face, every time the creature retaliated by shoving Lizard back and blinding her with strands of purple mass. They came crashing into a raging torrent which swept them along the city's underbelly.

Whilst wrestling in the current, Lizard utilised her abilities, her body gliding through the streaming waste water. Biting at ankles and dragging her under, Lizard continuously tried to get the better of her adversary. Sometimes, the purple creature would get the better of Lizard, but only momentarily as Lizard made full use of the elements. A distant rumble caught the purple creature's attention, an abyss of cascading waste water led into an abyss.

Pulling itself free from the Lizard and the torrent, the creature attached itself to the ceiling of the grimy, sludgy tunnel. As the drop off drew close, the Lizard reacted quickly. She lunged out of the torrent and stood atop the threshold of the vertical drop. Numerous drains led to this single drop off, many other cascades fell and joined into one great falls of liquid waste. The cylindrical structure made it look like a deep well. Turning around the Lizard was launched from her perch as the purple creature came swinging into her, both legs lunging forward. As she fell backwards down the hole, a distant light glinted in Veronica's eye, all the senseless knocking around had brought her consciousness back.

The light above vanished as the figure flew down from the pipe, feet first once again. Tendrils whipping from the wrists of the creature, latched onto the shredded lab coat of Veronica. Using tendrils to pull herself towards Lizard, the creature applied massive force, winding Veronica and increasing the rate of decent. Veronica screamed as she fell into the darkness followed shortly by a loud, impacting splash.

The base of the 'well' had a steady stream leading down dark, dank arching corridors, weaving around the foundations of New York City. Determined not to be beaten, the Lizard bellowed loudly, reverberating up the well, enticing the purple creature to follow. Veronica's rational thinking had granted a degree of intelligence within the Lizard allowing her to formulate a plan. Dangling several feet above the base, the purple creature hearing the Lizards bellows lowered herself downwards, landing gently on the saturated concrete below.

Faint sounds of tipping tapping claws encouraged the creature to explore the corridors. Darkness engulfed the passageways, scant, flickering lights providing little assistance to the creature. The sound of the Lizard seemed to be everywhere, behind, in front, all around. Tail scraping along the ground, knocking debris onto surfaces, confusing the purple creature. A sudden squeal and the Lizard pinned its opponent's face to the ground.

A moment of triumph soon turned to defeat as dozens of powerful tendrils sprouted from the creature's back, ensnaring the Lizard and lifted her into the air. Tendrils flung Lizard from one side of the corridor to the other, each hit made her weaker and weaker. One crash to the ceiling and one final fling down the corridor, the Lizard laid exhausted, wheezing and growling.

This creature was too much for Lizard to subdue, no matter how hard it tried. It approached slowly, one foot in front of the other, mockingly swinging hips as it went. The creature's skin became frenzied, tendrils flailed wildly, it's 'hair' stood upright, wriggling and writhing, fingers elongating into talons.

Lizard became threatened and retreated as the creature continued approaching, she roared loudly before slinking off into the darkness. The victor stood proudly, yet unsatisfied. Sharp teeth formed into a mouth and a thundering, retaliatory roar followed, travelling around the snaking tunnels and passageways. They would meet again, the creature, relishing a future encounter...


	5. A New Beginning

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

A new sun crawled over the horizon. Skyscrapers and high rises of the city cast their callous shadows on the increasingly bustling streets of New York. Citizens strolling uniformly made their mandatory journey to earn their keep, normal in almost every respect.

Alarm bells rang in Bryan's ear, the electronic, droning beep awoke him from his slumber. The digital display read 8:30am; Bryan yawned as he smashed his hand down firmly on the clock. Silence followed, Bryan let out a prolonged yawn and pulled his bed sheets aside. The rugged carpet rubbed on his soles as Bryan got up and adjusted his stiff neck.

An open travel case lay just off the bed within the confined chamber. Bryan produced a collection of clean clothes, he slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, walking out of his room and into the corridor he heard a slight thud come from Regina's room. Slowly, Bryan slinked towards the door leading into Regina's room; it was slightly ajar and swaying slowly in a gentle breeze.

Bryan could not recall if Regina left the door open last night, regardless he pushed the door open slightly and peered inside. Regina laid back turned to the door, snoring loudly. Surveying the room, Bryan noted the discarded clothing on the floorboards and the balcony door, wide open, a nice summer breeze wafting in. A slight groan and Regina stirred, she did not awake but her sheets shifted displaying her bare back to Bryan. From the doorway, Bryan spotted several dark purple blotches over Regina's back. Uncertain as to how Regina managed to obtain such bruising; Bryan just closed the door behind him as he walked towards the apartment's living area.

Bryan walked into the small kitchen space and pulled an orange juice carton from the fridge. Slumping into a second-hand couch, Bryan reached out for the television remote before turning on the TV itself. Bryan squirmed around in the couch, trying to get comfortable. He remained uneasy, uneasy from seeing bruises on Regina's back. Bryan continuously tried to recollect a logical point in time, when did she get those bruises? He thought. The problem was that the bruising seemed fresh. Bryan began to take a sip from the carton when the television caught his attention.

'New Freak City,' in big bold letters on a Bugle News report, Bryan cranked the volume up until the on-screen reporters words were legible.

"-night, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. Eyewitness reports claim that one, and I quote, 'looked like some giant, lizard thing-" Bryan pondered and took a sip from the carton. More freaks in New York City he thought. Fully aware of the history the city has had in past years. The news reporter continued, "-and roughly eight to nine feet tall.' One eyewitness who happened to capture a segment of the pair battling made this statement regarding the second figure: 'It was hard to see at first, but that giant lizard was fighting some chick in purple, all purple. I first thought it might have been Spiderman, when I got a better look I knew it wasn't. She kept slinging the lizard into the buildings around me-'"

Regina yawned loudly. Bryan turned back quickly in surprise. Regina stood in the corridor, looking a little worse for wear. Her hair was messy and she looked absolutely exhausted, wearing nothing more than a loose t-shirt that hung over her torso and hips.

"Sorry," Regina said, "didn't mean to scare you." She yawned slightly again and itched her back, making her way into the kitchen area. Bryan turned back to the TV, though still traced Regina's movements behind him. "D'you have anything decent to eat here?" Regina asked, peering into the fridge, scratching her back again.

"Uh, there should be some pop-tarts on the side there." Bryan turned round, gesturing towards the tabletop next to the fridge. Regina sneered.

"I mean proper food." Bryan was surprised, he turned round fully and Regina slammed the fridge shut.

"I thought you liked pop-tarts?" That was beyond the truth. Regina _loved_ pop-tarts, regardless of the time of day: Morning, afternoon, evening and everything in between.

"Uh, yeah, I do," Regina said, reassuringly. She placed two tarts into the nearby, aging toaster. Bryan looked on as Regina placed a hand to her scalp.

"Are you feeling alright?" Bryan got to his feet and walked closer to Regina.

"I'm fine!" Regina said.

"Are you sure?" Bryan began to place his hands to comfort her.

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Regina bellowed, flailing her arms behind, forcing Bryan away.

"Ok, calm it down a bit." Bryan brushed himself down, removing the creases in his shirt, "Jeez," He said quietly, sitting back down into the couch. Chattering continued from the news reporter.

"We have this very special footage to show you." Two figures appeared fighting on screen, barely in focus due to some shaky camera work. Bryan scoffed at the screen.

"These two will most likely kill each other," Bryan said as he took another sip from the juice carton. Click and two pop-tarts jump from the toaster; Regina swiftly removed them, placing them onto a plate.

"What's that?" Regina asked taking a bite into a boiling tart, scalding her mouth. Oddly the pain didn't bother her. Chewing on the tart she faced the television. Sudden throbbing in Regina's head caused her to feel it again.

"These jokers," Bryan paused a moment to take another sip of juice, slurping it down, "they're a cancer to this city. It's been going on for a few years now." Regina didn't say anything, she continued eating her pastries. Something unsettling brewed inside Regina as she watched the television, a strong sense of familiarity. Ringing filled the room causing Regina to jolt. Bryan leant over the couch, reaching a cordless telephone lying on a side table.

"Hello?" Bryan said into the receiver, "whoa, Dr. Connors." Regina paused for a moment to listen. "What? Wait; slow down a second...huh? When?" Bryan began to stammer, "o-o-o-k, uh, I'll be there as soon as I can!" He threw the phone onto the couch, launched to his feet and darted into his bedroom without saying anything. Regina watched perplexed, still eating. Moments later Bryan appeared, he'd slung a jacket on.

"Uhm," Regina swallowed, "what's going on?"

"There's been an accident at the lab. I've gotta go." Bryan frenetically pats himself down, places his hand into a jacket pocket, removing a set of keys. He takes one key from the ring and tosses it towards Regina. "That's the door key." Turning quickly Bryan storms out the door, slamming it shut, "I'll be as quick as I can!" Regina stood in a pondering trance, tilting her head uncharacteristically. She produces a single hand and the key falls into her hand. A slimy purple tendril retracts back into her skin as she looks at the key, dazed and unaware of how. How did it get there? A low scratching inside her developed into words, a voice whispered her name.

"_Regina..._"

Time passed. Dr. Connors continued pacing around the grounds of Empire State University campus. Bryan just pulled into the parking lot. A scene unlike the night before, numerous fire crews and police officers littered the campus, bystanders gawking at the spectacle. Hovering around the perimeter of where the lab should be. Bryan scoured the boundaries of the crowd to locate Dr. Connors. A smell of burning lingered in the air, a smouldering heap lay where Connors' lab once stood. Bryan shook his head in disbelief.

"Bryan!" Dr. Connors waved towards Bryan and he approached.

"What happened!?" Bryan asked as he turned back to the ruin.

"Not sure. Fire fighters and police are still trying to establish what started it."

"What about..." Bryan paused; Connors' glanced at him, "the _thing_?"

"I don't know it's likely ash by now." Bryan hung his head, dreading the words, "I'm sorry." Biting his fist, Bryan cried restrained frustration. He calmed himself and removed his fist from his teeth.

"What now?" Bryan asked.

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well." Someone said from behind the pair. They both turned to face a woman, golden blonde hair and wearing a navy blue suit.

"Oh dear," Dr. Connors said under his breath. The woman turned to face him.

"Do I get the impression I'm unwanted here, Curt?" she said venomously.

"Not at all," Dr. Connors replied. Bryan looked on with interest. The woman turned to face him.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" She asked with a false smile.

"Bryan Cain this is-"

"I know who you are," Bryan cut in, "Zoe King." He produced a hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you." Zoe hesitated, grinning she shook Bryan's hand.

"Trust me. It isn't," Zoe replied. Bryan's eyes wandered between Dr. Connors and the imposing Zoe. Trying to understand what reason someone of her importance would be doing at the scene.

"I assume you're here for something more interesting than this uh, spectacle on display here?" Bryan asked, gesturing towards the rubble. Zoe looked on and cut a path between the two, crossing her arms then turned back to face the pair. Her expression, displeased.

"Your associate, who happened to work here, promised me something particular," Zoe answered with minimal emotion.

"Wait, you can't mean?-" Bryan started.

"I'll let _Curt_ explain the details to you," Zoe interrupted, turning back to the rubble, "I was hoping to speak with her, we have business to discuss. Where is she?" Zoe began to walk away from the pair back to where she arrived from.

"We don't know yet Zoe," Dr. Connors replied sharply, determined that Veronica was not in the lab. Zoe peered over her shoulder.

"Pity, I'll be waiting then." Zoe responded coldly as she walked out of view into a waiting Rolls which swiftly drove away.

"Wait, you didn't?" Bryan stammered, fearful that Dr. Connors may have sold out to her too. He shook his head.

"She never knew. It was never in her best interests, she'll poach, but if there's no profit, she won't bite." The two were interrupted again as a police officer approached them.

"Excuse me Dr. Connors. We've had a brief sweep of the rubble, we managed to find these." The officer produced some tattered shreds of clothing, shards of glass, broken leg brace, a lighter and a scarred Dictaphone. Both Dr. Connors and Bryan gasped in horror. Safe for the glass, the pair recognized the effects of Veronica.

"Have they found a body?" Dr. Connors asked with desperation. The officer replied immediately.

"No traces of a body, nothing suggests that there was anybody here. Fire's torched everything, safe for those items."

"Any idea on how it started?" Bryan asked.

"If I was to give an opinion, I'd say this," the officer lifted the lighter from Veronica's possessions, "it was open when we found it, plus it's empty. Given the contents of the building a possible chemical fire."

"Thank you," Dr. Connors responded, appreciating the officer's input.

"That glass," Bryan turned to Connors, "That's-"

"I know," Dr. Connors replied, accepting that the same glass once contained the organism. "But," he continued, pausing momentarily, "it's strange. That canister was designed to withstand extreme temperatures, but not shock-proof."

"Are you suggesting that it was broken before the fire started?!" Bryan asked. In the back of his mind, Bryan pictured that Veronica had broken the capsule prior to the fire. He didn't, however know how that happened.

"Now, let's not be hasty. The best we can do is to find Veronica and ask her what happened. There is no way she would deliberately do this." Dr. Connors walked away from a concerned Bryan.

"What was Veronica working on doctor?!" Bryan called out as he followed. Something about this endeavour that Zoe had entrusted with Veronica had him intrigued. Was this what had caused the fire? Some sort of weapon? An experiment gone wrong?

"I'll explain later, let's find her first!" They reached the parking lot; Bryan directed Curt over to his car and helped him inside before getting in himself. "We'll try her place. She's got an apartment a few blocks from here, uh, above a place called 'Stanley's Comics.'" Bryan started up the engine.

"That's just across from where I live," Bryan said surprised as he manoeuvred out of the parking lot and onto the road. A sudden realization came to Bryan. "Hold on." He reached into his pocket as the car stood motionless on the street, produced his phone and pressed down firmly on the speed dial for his apartment. Bryan reckoned that Regina could just walk across the street and get there before him. The phone kept dialling...

And dialling...

"Pickup Regina!" Bryan sighed to himself.

"Wha-What the fuck?!" Regina screamed to herself. Confused and scared. She'd just blanked out for a moment. She saw Bryan fling the key towards her and somehow, without moving a muscle...catch it? Fear set in, she could feel something unfamiliar within the vicinity, like something, someone was inside. Inside the apartment? Not possible, she'd only awoken a short while ago. Bryan had only just left.

That voice, that same voice in her dream. It sounded just like Regina, but not Regina, rather a malformed interpretation of her own voice. Every sound seemed to be amplified tenfold, though it perhaps was just Regina's mental fragilities. She had lost the means of differentiating what was real and what was not. How was she to know whether this was, what she would call, normal? Or had she finally lost it and that this was her torture?

Perhaps she was in a padded cell somewhere and this...world, was her mind's interpretation of the reality. Regina dropped her plate, it shattered as it hit the flooring and crumbs flew around before reaching the ground. "I-" Regina struggled to even speak, she was in unbelievable pain. She tried to make sense of everything, where she was, what was happening to her.

Something was inside her, desperately trying to influence Regina's fragile mind. It felt like it was gorging on her soul, feasting on every negative thought and emotion she experienced. 'Ridiculous,' Regina thought, but nothing could explain it. Nothing compared, her physical and mental being was suffering, not from fatigue, or body pain, something unexplainable.

"_Oh-hoho. Delicious._" It spoke. Regina whelped and collapsed to her knees.

"What? What are you?!" Regina squealed, pressing her fists firmly against her head in agony.

"_We're you!_"

"We?!" Regina squirmed, "no, I know what we- me- I am!" Monstrous laughter echoed in Regina's mind.

"_Hehe, w__e only want to help._"

"You say 'we' like you're more than one?"

"_Yes, we are you!_" the voice mocking Regina purposely.

"You're not me though!" Regina yelled out. Regina could not anticipate what followed.

"_I am Regina Cain_." Rather than speaking through her mind, this thing had manipulated Regina into speaking. "What? No, no, I didn't just say that...you?"

"_We said that._" this time speaking in Regina's mind. "Oh, I'm s_orry; shall we just refer each other as you and I?_"

"I just want you out!" Regina began to raise her voice. If Bryan was witnessing this, he'd most like have her committed. She was arguing with herself. This supposed figment of Regina's imagination was, very much, acting like a child, a tormentor. The mannerisms or perhaps it was manifesting in such a way that would drive Regina totally insane. "I can't believe I'm having an argument with myself." Regina scoffed, the pain subsided substantially and she got to her feet.

"_You're not."_ The voice said bluntly.

"So what are you?" A long silence followed, Regina looked around the living area, expectant of a reply from herself. Regina began pacing around until she stood in a more open space between the apartment door and the ragged couch.

"_I'll show you__,_" said the voice sharply, a sudden discomfort shuddered all over Regina's skin. Purple mass erupted from the pores of her skin, encasing it in living purple mass. The shock made Regina scream violently. Tendrils dived into her gaping mouth muffling her for a moment as teeth warped into fangs and a ferocious maw formed. Torso, hips, feet, arms, everything was covered as her head got encased in purple mass. Regina's eyesight returned as goggle like eyes allowed her to see again. The change halted and Regina was released to her own devices, the sudden shock caused her to collapse to her knees again.

Coughing, Regina got back to her feet and stared at her hands. They had become purple claws; she placed them against her 'face,' able to feel the texture through the new skin. Regina stumbled back into her room, a tall, smashed mirror stood upright in the corner. She gazed upon her new form now covered head to toe in skin tight purple. The mass ultimately had thickness to it, as Regina appeared slightly bulkier than she recalled. Tendrils sprouted from her head forming living 'hair' and more appeared behind her, flailing from her back.

"So-" Regina paused a moment, "wait...my voice!" The creature had warped Regina's vocal cords, she now sounded exactly like the voice inside her head.

"_You're voice is too soft,"_ Regina immediately noticed her own voice, _"I figured we could swap. Don't worry I'll give it back."_

"You'd better," Regina replied angrily as she walked back out into the living area. Every mannerism of this being aggravated Regina; it was very much the opposite of her. "Do you do anything? Apart from aggravating me of course."

"_I have some imprints from my memories that might help."_ With a sudden jerk, Regina's right arm flung upwards and launched a tendril onto the ceiling. Crumbs of plaster fell onto an increasingly aggravated Regina. _"Oops,__" _said the voice.

"Nice," Regina replied sarcastically, "how about letting me drive a bit?" Regina retracted the tendril so it formed back into her hand. Regina began practising forming and slinging the tendril around, trying one hand and then the other. This went on for a while before Regina decided to try and practise the remaining imprints the creature had bestowed upon her. "Why not try something different?" Regina suggested.

"_Such as?"_

"You've got all these tendrils growing out my back and arms. Why not use them to make me 'bigger?'" The creature seemed to agree, as Regina felt the trailing mass absorb into her body, she could feel herself getting taller. Just before her head reached the ceiling, Regina looked at her hands to see they'd increased in size. "Not bad." Regina said amused, putting her fists up and throwing mock jabs. Suddenly the phone began to ring. The sound caused Regina to flinch, like the sound was hurting her slightly. "Shit," Regina said, "you'd better put my proper voice back." She approached the phone and manipulated the creature into opening its maw so Regina's face became visible between its jaws. Picking up the phone between her large index finger and thumb, Regina spoke:

"Hello?"

"Keyes? It's Zoe King. Can you compile all the recorded data from Dr. Pyke's project?" Zoe asked sternly down her phone, the man on the opposite end was her most trusted employee, Benjamin Keyes.

"Sure, but why?" Benjamin replied, abandoning his work before beginning to access OsCorp's secret projects database.

"A hunch, I think she found something just last night."

"You know I don't like your hunches ma'am." Ben adjusted his glasses and scoured through the database.

"Deal with it...have you got anything?" Zoe held her forehead, suffering from a slight hangover.

"Uh yeah, seems Dr. Pyke had all her Dictaphone messages wirelessly forwarded to her workspace, as well as a number of documentations that detail her research process and techniques."

"Anything conclusive?"

"Nothing of the sort, she's detailed her progress but didn't find a solution, nothing in writing at least."

"Alright, forward all the data to my private server. I will look over the data myself." Zoe pulled out a OzBerry Tablet, placed it on her lap before running her finger across.

"Sure ma'am," Ben replied casually as he rapidly typed on the computer keyboard, switching between one screen and another. "Ok. I've forwarded everything recorded onto your server. You should be able to access them with any valid terminal ma'am."

"Thank you Benny," Zoe grinned as she accessed the quickly appearing data on her tablet. Zoe clicked off the phone and placed it into her jacket pocket. 'Password' appeared onscreen as Zoe accessed her server. Zoe gently typed in 'Edvin Rebane,' her father's name. More and more files appeared onscreen as Ben continued forwarding as much data possible to Zoe's server. One file reading 'Audio Files,' caught Zoe's eyes immediately.

Without hesitation Zoe opened the file and one after the other many audio clips appeared in chronological order. "Let's see what you found out," Zoe whispered to herself, "what happened last night?" She skipped straight to the most recent file and played it back. Veronica's voice replayed through the tablet's speakers.

"I have exhausted almost every option. Every technique I know has failed. I only have one final option, something that modern science has never recorded. I will detail my findings and full test procedure in my subsequent audio log."

Much to Zoe's disappointment, the recording was not in fact, the last of Veronica's records. The aforementioned audio log was missing, possible destroyed, or was not uploaded to Veronica's workspace. Frustrated, Zoe scoured the audio logs, each with a unique date and time stamp, bar one. A file that had been manually renamed, it read 'Test Procedure.' It wasn't dated, Zoe decided to play it and once again, Veronica's tones came from the tablet.

"This is the Test Procedure Audio Log of Veronica Pyke. OsCorp have failed to agree to my demands for suitable test subjects, without any mammals my research is pointless." Zoe recalled the time that Veronica had contacted her personally to request some lab rats so that she could perform suitable tests. Zoe declined due to time constraints and lack of subjects to spare. The recording continued.

"I have therefore taken it upon myself to..." There was a long pause, "perform the necessary testing on myself." Zoe became suddenly enthralled. "Every altered supplement will be injected directly into my left arm. This has been established as the most suited point to maximise efficiency of the serum. Too close to vital organs could be fatal and injection too close to the relevant wound could prove disastrous, if simulations prove to be true." Zoe began to grin.

"So...that's what you've been up to. What exactly happened to you?" The audio log suddenly cut out. As if the file was corrupt or unfinished. Zoe became determined to discover what Veronica had come upon, but the only way that was going to happen was if she went and asked the woman herself. Reluctant to do so presently, Zoe opted to keep the files stored within her server and dialled her phone again to call Ben once again. "Keyes, it's me again. Listen, how long will it take to create a sample of Dr. Pyke's serum?"

"Shouldn't take too long, why?"

"Something's missing, she knows what it is. See if you can come up with any solutions..."


	6. Alive

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

"_Come on!_"

"No way!" Regina argued with the symbiote. Bryan had contacted her, asking her to go to Veronica's place and see if she was there. Fair enough it was only across the street; Regina could see the front of Stanley's Comics from the apartment window. However, Bryan failed to address Regina's fear. Regina knew that if she stepped outside that she'd paralyse herself with fear. Only with Bryan would Regina dare venture 'the unknown.' Regina's new 'friend' was now taunting her, enticing her to go outside.

"_If __you don't go out, I'll make you._" The creature was clearly annoyed at Regina's reluctance to wander outside. It wanted to taste the freedom of the outdoors again. "_Who knows, maybe I'll start a few fires, hurt a few people-_"

"Stop it!" Regina replied forcefully, "d'you not realise how hard it is for me to go out there?" The being knew all too well, but it desperately wanted to change its host's outlook. Aggressively if needed. Regina took a moment as she stood in the centre of the apartment, thinking hard. She bounded various thoughts around her skull; Veronica could be in trouble, what if she was hurt? Would she even be at her apartment? Regina decided there was no choice in the matter; she had to see if Veronica was fine, alone. However, she wasn't, in truth. Regina began walking towards her room.

"_What are you doing?_" asked the voice. Regina scoffed.

"Getting 'changed,' something you don't have a grasp of." A sudden shudder in Regina's skin locked her in place, fearing that the creature was going to burst from her body again. However, there was slight comfort, Regina felt the same ooze crawl out of her skin, not as vicious as before. Parts of Regina's body became covered in rapidly morphing flesh that seemed to morph into fibres, creating clothes. Regina scoffed, "You're just full of surprises...quite a time saver too."

She couldn't help but smile. Similar attire to what Regina had worn last night was formed; jacket, t-shirt and trousers, though her shirt was tinted purple, the same tone as her 'other.' Regina turned around heading for the door. She placed her hand firmly on the door knob, turned it and slowly opened the door. Taking a deep breath Regina stepped beyond the threshold, pulling the door shut and locking it with the key Bryan left her.

Regina's heart began to pound at her ribcage. Each step she took down the corridor was harder than the last. Her breathing accelerated as she passed a tenant entering the block. She glided through the vanishing gap in the door and emerged on the New York streets. The noise, the smell, the sight, it made Regina's skin crawl, vehicles drove by and pedestrians brushed past her.

Regina inhaled deeply, taking in the distinct smell of the city. Gradually she calmed. The unknown presence gave her comfort. Regina smiled, surprised at what she was doing. Had she overcome her fears? Perhaps the being was company enough for Regina to dare go against her better nature.

A space in traffic allowed Regina to dash across the street and onto the opposite sidewalk. Regina felt more agile, stronger that this being was with her. Even though she had no idea what it was, she liked it. Stanley's Comics stood before Regina; the apartments above stretched a couple stories high.

"Kid," a voice came from in front of Regina, she looked down to see an elderly man standing in the store's doorway. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, I was wondering if somebody lived here."

"I do, unless you mean one of my tenants?"

"_This guy seems eerily familiar to me..._" the voice scowled in Regina's mind. She chose to ignore it.

"Does Veronica live here?"

"Veronica? Yeah, lovely girl helps me out a bit. Doesn't pay the rent on time though, you know if..."

"Is she in?" Regina interrupted before the elderly man could continue with his rambling.

"Hmm," the man replied, thinking long and hard. His expression contorted as if to remember something long past. Regina sunk; Veronica must be missing, "she did get back this morning. Looked in the worst possible shape I've ever seen." Regina suddenly became delighted to hear that Veronica was safe, yet worried that she is in bad shape. The storekeeper pointed towards the steps beside the shop, "room three, top floor."

"Thank you." Regina replied as she bolted up the stairs.

"_Something doesn't feel right..._" the voice said. Regina continued climbing.

"What d'you mean?"

"_Something...familiar, it's close, very close..._" the voice sounded discomforted, almost scared. Regina didn't pay much notice and reached the top floor. A number three etched onto the door indicated that this is it, this is Veronica's apartment. An unmistakable peep hole indented just below the number. Regina took her fist and pounded on the door. No response. Another knock on the door and it slowly swung forwards, it wasn't closed properly.

Regina pushed the door open slowly, peeping in as the interior gradually came into view. Dim light occupied the apartment, curtains drawn. An overpowering smell of foliage wafting into Regina's face caught her off guard. 'My god, it reeks!' Regina thought. Among the stench was a bizarre sound, the gentle pattering of tiny feet. Inside the dankness, Regina made out small shapes scurrying along the floor, dozens upon dozens of reptiles. Lizards crawling all over the furniture even more on the ceiling.

"Hello?" Regina called out; each lizard reacted and stared at her. A flickering bluish light across the room illuminated a large terrarium, with a large iguana inside. It gave an intimidating glare, before slowly crawling out of its confines. The owner clearly loves reptiles.

"Who's there?" said a familiar voice deeper within. Regina took slow steps through the dimness, trying hard not to step on any lizards. Regina didn't want to witness firsthand what would happen if something exotic bit her. In the next room, even more lizards, more than in the living area. Regina was in what appeared to be a bedroom. A large double bed sat in the middle of the room. The image within the darkness intimidated both Regina and her 'other.'

Snakes and other reptiles accumulated around the large bed. Strangely, even a few frogs were present, the reptiles clearly not bothered by the amphibians. Every creature inside the apartment was here for something.

Regina's eyes were suddenly drawn to a strange shape on the bed. Piles of the creatures seemed to form a massive bulge on the blankets. Creeping forward, watching every step she took, Regina approached the foot of the bed. The bulge squirmed, reptiles cloaking something below. Regina's mouth gaped open, tracing up the bulge, visualising what was underneath.

Carelessly, Regina took her hand and was about to touch the mass of creatures. Another squirm caused the lizards to shift further up the bulge, revealing skin.

"Veronica?!" Regina exclaimed. Another shift in the bulge's motion and Veronica slowly sat upright, covered in lizards. Some fell from Veronica's crown; others crawled from her face and torso. Every motion the creatures made revealed more and more flesh. Veronica's face was no longer masked by repulsive reptiles. Eyes opened slowly as Veronica's dark blonde hair flowed freely from her scalp. Several snakes wrapped around her chest slithered along her skin unveiling even more.

Veronica's chest lay bare before a disbelieving Regina. Lizards still clinging to Veronica's waist and below began to disperse. Some still remained attached to her flesh, like some masochistic attraction. Safe for the scarce lizards crawling over her skin, Veronica was completely naked. Regina averted her gaze.

"Why have you come?" Veronica slurred. She appeared to be in a trance, completely unaware of the creatures surrounding her.

"Uh, I uh, came to see if you were alright." Regina continued to look away from Veronica, embarrassed to look at her bare body.

"Oh, I'm fine." Linen blankets rustled as Veronica got to her knees; she shuffled towards the foot of the bed. Gently, Veronica placed her hands upon Regina's shoulders. Shock shuddered through Regina's body.

Something was very wrong with Veronica. Either she was in the sky with diamonds, or just naturally bizarre. This contrasted hugely to what Regina witnessed the previous night. Veronica had gotten to her feet and was now just behind Regina, she embraced her. "We can be together!" Veronica said into Regina's ear, she reacted immediately.

"Okay!" Regina said forcefully, freeing herself from Veronica's grasp, spinning to face her. Veronica stood, reptiles clinging to her body, lizards on her head and a snake coiling around her ankle. "Jeez, she's out of it." Veronica stared blankly at Regina, producing her hands once again, preparing to grasp Regina.

This twisted image terrified Regina. She could no longer avert her gaze, Veronica needed help now. "I hope Bryan gets here soon." Regina placed her hands firmly on Veronica's wrists, "Veronica, what's wrong with you?"

"_It's inside..._"

"Huh?" Regina, quizzed the voice.

"_Me...__a__ p__art of me...inside._"

"What are you going on about?" Veronica still stood in front of Regina, dazed; her head swung left and right like a pendulum. Lizards kept crawling over her skin.

"_We must have it!_" Regina's body lurched forward into Veronica, her breasts pressed up firmly against Regina's jacket. Regina's eyes gazed wide open as her lips planted upon Veronica's own.

'_What am I doing?!...You__!__! Stop this NOW__!__!_' Regina screamed in her mind, surprised at what was happening. The creature willed Regina into kissing Veronica!

"_Stop whining and__ watch!_" So she did. Veronica's blank stare vanished. Her pupils widened in shock and suddenly applied force against Regina. She gasped.

"Regina?! What?" Veronica realised she was standing naked and had just kissed a woman; she leapt back onto the bed and covered her modesty with stained blankets. That one lizard still remained planted to her head. Regina stood with her back to the nearest wall, pressing up against it has hard as possible, shocked and embarrassed.

"I- I-" Regina couldn't get a word out, she was stunned. Why did the being force Regina upon Veronica? The voice was silent and didn't say anything. Giving no hint as to why it made Regina do it. A knock came from the other room; the apartment door had been pushed open.

"Hello?! Veronica? Regina?" The voice of Bryan came from the other room.

"In here," Regina yelled out the door.

"Jeez, it's like a jungle in here..." Bryan said as he appeared from the corridor and into the bedroom. "Ah." Bryan immediately turned around as soon as he noticed Veronica naked on her bed, still occupied by reptiles, "Uh, Regina, you mind coming out here a second while we eh, allow Veronica to get dressed."

Regina shimmied along the wall, avoiding a few reptiles under her feet. Oddly, a few of them had now begun to disperse. No longer was there a large volume of creatures present. They had been reduced to a couple dozen. Veronica slinked out from under her sheets as Regina and Bryan disappeared out of the bedroom.

Bryan scoped the apartment, noticing that reptiles lurked in almost every corner of every room. Exotic plant life dotted about the place gave a tropic jungle atmosphere. "You alright Regina?" Bryan asked as he returned to the living room.

"Uh, yes. I think." Regina sounded uneasy, twisting her index finger around strands of her hair. Around the room, the reptiles had calmed, more vanished out of sight yet there still remained a volume, too many for Veronica to legally own. That large iguana completely slinked out of its terrarium and into Veronica's room.

"Iggy," Veronica said out of view. Bryan cringed.

"Iggy? Really," He replied. Veronica came from her room, dressed in green sweater and jeans, with Iggy in hand.

"Don't listen to him Iggy, he's just jealous." Veronica embraced the iguana as it latched to her top. She looked perfectly normal, as if nothing extraordinary had happened, "what's going on anyway. Why are you all here?" Veronica looked around at the trio's faces, two of disappointment, frustration and one looking very insecure and embarrassed. "Did something happen?"

"We were hoping you could tell us..." Dr. Connors began.

"Why, what did I do?" Veronica's gaze transferred between Curt and Bryan.

"You heard the news today?"

"No," Veronica replied sharply, adjusting Iggy within her arms, it seemingly becoming more agitated by something, "should I of?"

Dr. Connors took a deep breath and sighed. Bryan turned around in disbelief. He could not believe what he was hearing. Surely this woman would realise if something was amiss. Surely she knew what happened last night. "The lab burnt down last night."

Veronica turned away, shocked. "It's interesting, because some of the equipment was damaged." Veronica turned her head back to face the three, Dr. Connors looked stern, his lone hand pressed firmly against his waist. "I think you know what I'm talking about." Dr. Connors looked down in disappointment; he noticed something out of place. "Although not as interesting as you walking around without a leg brace." Bryan shot round and looked down at Veronica's legs. Dr. Connors was correct.

Veronica released Iggy from her grasp and he crawled over her shoulders. She was stunned, "No..." It was true; Veronica had no leg brace attached. A disbelieving Veronica began to buckle in shock. "I-I- can't be." She began to collapse. Iggy leapt clear before Bryan dived in to catch Veronica. Dr. Connors and Regina gathered round close to Veronica as Bryan helped her up. Veronica's complexion turned pale. "So it wasn't a dream then..."

"What?" Bryan asked.

"I-I'm sorry." Veronica got back onto her feet and walked over to a cluttered desk, blinds just above. Pulling the blinds open, light burst into the room, a sudden flurry of movement and many reptiles scattered around the room. Veronica gestured to the desk. "My life's work, Bryan." Bryan gazed over the clutter, a collection of documentations, illustrations and formulas. After a few moments silence and a brief analysis Bryan spoke.

"A regenerative limb booster?" Veronica turned with her back to the group and adjusted her jumper just enough to reveal her left shoulder. Regina was surprised of all, she'd just seen Veronica bare naked moments ago, yet failed to acknowledge what Veronica was now showing. Puncture wounds, bloodied red and slightly swollen, a slight green discolouration surrounded the entries.

"You could say that," Veronica began, "I've been testing the serum on myself for the past months."

"Veronica," Dr. Connors walked towards Veronica to see the marks, "I thought you were getting subjects from OsCorp." Veronica hesitated for a moment as coldness shivered through her skin. Dr. Connors ran his fingers over the entry wounds.

"I lied. There were never any rodent subjects," Veronica replied regretfully. She pulled her sweater back up and she turned back to face the group. "Zoe never gave me any subjects to test on. The funding just wasn't there." Veronica continued to articulate her story, pacing around the room. "For whatever reason their CEO, Zoe King, could not provide. I tried so hard. I failed." A single tear welled up from Veronica's eye; she desperately tried to hide it. It was hopeless, the three could tell from her tone and demeanour that she was upset.

"So that's why she was there this morning." Bryan realised the reason behind Zoe's visit to the university. Seeking the finished serum or at least, what there was of it. Veronica sniffled.

"There was just, one last chance. One grand opportunity presented itself. That _thing_, that symbiote, I took a sample of it and uh, bound it with my serum."

"You WHAT?!" Bryan yelled out, "That's insane."

"It was the missing the link, the final piece to the jigsaw. It worked, but I..." Veronica paused briefly. However it felt much longer for an anxious Bryan, "I uh, accidently destroyed the symbiote's containment capsule." Bryan's expression grew from anxiety into fury as Veronica continued, "the creature escaped out the lab door as I tried to find it and then..." She paused again, trying so hard to remember. "I can't remember what happened next...it's all a blur. Like a blood red sheet over my eyes and..._Pain_. There's, nothing."

"_Hehe...déjà vu_," giggled the voice. Regina finally came to the startling realisation.

"_You? You're the?!_"

"_Yes_..." this creature that had invaded Regina's body was indeed the same creature in the lab last night. That same creature that seemed so lively before her, it always wanted her. Why? Regina dashed out of sight and into Veronica's bathroom, slamming the door shut; Bryan noted her disappearance but said nothing.

Water dripped from a leaky faucet and foliage provided some humidity in the amber lit bathroom. Regina's hands trembled as she turned the faucet on, cupping water into her hands before splashing over her face. 'Symbiote,' at least Regina now knew what this thing is, a symbiote. Still, she had no idea what that meant. She could tell the others, but then how would they react? They didn't have to know, after all, is it really that bad? What is the worst that could happen to Regina?

"You're an alien," Regina stated as she gazed into the mirror. Her head unwillingly morphed into that of the beast, "What does that make me then, a monster?" Placed her hand to the mirror and ran it down her reflection. "Face it Regina, an alien life form is joyriding around inside you and there's nothing you can do about it."

"_Joyriding__? You beings have strange words__..__.__hehe._"

"Is everything a joke to you?" There was a pounding at the door.

"Regina?" It was Bryan, "you okay in there?" He placed his hand on the door handle ready to open.

"Just a minute, let me put my face on." The symbiote made Regina talk. Bryan backed away from the door, puzzled and went back to Veronica and Dr. Connors.

"Hey! You're making me sound like an idiot!" Regina said under her breath as her face morphed back to normal.

"_Like I said: deal with it!_" Regina took a step out of the bathroom back into the living area, "_I'm here to stay._" Regina began reflecting on the events, trying to piece it together. If the symbiote cells were also in Veronica could that explain the attraction? Is that why it forced Regina upon Veronica? It wanted to be together again?

More and more questions kept revolving around Regina's head, all regarding the symbiote and its separation. One question kept popping up in Regina's mind though; is Veronica a monster just like her? Is there something 'alive' inside her?!

"You rest Veronica," Dr. Connors said reassuringly, "Regina and Bryan live just over the street and I'll be back later to run some blood tests."

"I might be able to give some insight on what the cells have actually done to your body with some analysing." Bryan added in an attempt to be friendly. He was being heartless before, mostly aggravated because of Veronica's actions, but he wanted to help now, everything he could to jog Veronica's memory.

"Thank you, I'll be fine for now."

"Any trouble, either call me, or see Bryan, okay?" Veronica nodded to acknowledge Dr. Connors. He turned to leave with Bryan and Regina swiftly following suit.

"Regina," Veronica said, "you mind staying a sec." Regina turned to Veronica then back to Bryan who stood in the doorway. She was biting her lip nervously. Bryan just nodded to her and took the apartment key back from Regina.

"I'll see you back there." With that Bryan closed the door behind. Regina looked at Veronica who had walked over to her desk and was now staring out the window, contemplating. Regina had a feeling what about.

"Regina-"

"I didn't mean to," Regina butt in immediately, anticipating Veronica's response.

"Why did you though? I mean, I didn't know you were..." Neither did Regina know. All she knew was that an alien life form had forced its host upon another being that happened to be the same gender, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I uh..." Regina blushed and tried to hide it. Veronica approached her slowly, "sorry I must go!" Regina barged out the apartment and slammed the door firmly behind her. Despite feeling embarrassed, Regina felt awful avoiding Veronica like that, what was she to say? 'Oh an alien made me do it.' However, Regina couldn't help but feel admiration for the woman. Veronica suffered and she sought to recover, never giving up, not once. She is strong, stronger than Regina.

"_You actually like her...don't you._" Regina finally pulled herself away from the door and walked down the steps back onto the street.

"Maybe..." Regina just said to herself. Contemplating whether she did actually mean to kiss Veronica or not.


	7. Business As Usual

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

OsCorp headquarters towers into the sky, eighty-stories of research: chemicals, weapons, medicine and more. Distinguishable by the large logo adorned atop the library of scientific exploits. At the base of the skyscraper a mass of television and newspaper journalists had gathered.

Zoe arrived and the crowd followed, swarming around her Rolls as it drove by. Many yelled questions at the businesswoman through tinted windows regarding the earlier ESU incident. More questions concerning criminal underworld connections. Then the intrusive and suggestive questions about her personal life followed, just another day in the life of Zoe King.

"Best take the side entrance today Harold." Zoe gestured to her driver who responded with a nod. The parasites clung to the car as it ventured into the restricted access. Guards horded back the journalists as they scrambled to the checkpoint.

Zoe stepped out of her vehicle into view of the journalists; she calmly strolled into the building, carefully eyeing the crowd. A grand, tastefully decorated lobby greeted Zoe, befitting of a company with such a reputation. Marble flooring and tall pillars, carefully placed plants and minimalistic seating. A receptionist acknowledged Zoe's arrival and smiled brightly at her.

"Good to see you Mrs. King." Zoe gestured at the receptionist, preventing her from continuing. Impatience settled in as Zoe had important matters to address.

"Has my husband arrived yet?" Zoe asked.

"Yes. He's in his office, with some important clients."

"Thank you," Zoe replied as she left the receptionist. She had no intention on disturbing Ellis, she just wanted the confirmation that he was around.

Everything was in full motion; employees of various departments cluttered the hall. Authoritarian individuals acknowledged Zoe's presence. Those less fortunate ignored her avoiding the gaze of their powerful overlord.

Zoe took out her tablet again and slipped a pair of reading glasses on before keying in the password. A private elevator leading up stood before her. One large guard standing alone nodded towards Zoe, acknowledging her presence. Zoe pressed her thumb firmly against the elevator keypad, the doors glided open in near silence. Immaculate, the elevator had nary a speck of dirt or grime, a perfect vessel for Zoe to travel.

She pressed one of the keys indicating a floor to travel; forty-three, her lab, occupied by her two most trusted minds. An unmistakable weightless feeling surged through Zoe's body as the elevator sprung into life, going upwards. She browsed her OzBerry tablet once again, carefully considering the files she 'acquired' from her ex-employee. Veronica's secrets became the property of OsCorp. No chance Zoe was going to waste the opportunity presented before her.

"If this works...healthcare programs will pay millions," Zoe pondered, she scrolled through more files, ignoring the audio records Veronica had documented. Only one thing mattered, recoup the loss and make a profit. Zoe was fully aware of the potential, she knew that before and she knew it now. She would trust the expertise of her best biological scientist, Benjamin Keyes to find the solution.

A bell chimed and the elevator doors slid open, Zoe stepped out and navigated the scarce corridors to her laboratory. In contrast to other labs in the building, this is where all Zoe's personal projects come to fruition. Sparks flew and machinery whirred, the most advanced equipment was present here, synthesising machines among other equipment that Zoe had no desire to understand.

The large lab had to be separated to accommodate two departments, one side housed Benjamin's chemical and biological experiments, whilst, beyond a dividing glass, weapons technology and advances were being developed by a veteran engineer. Paige Mason was tinkering away at a large blue glider through the glass; she has been long faithful to Zoe and her father, for over thirty years she served them. That loyalty is what Zoe respected, that and insistence to tinker and tweak served her well. Paige's successes helped put Zoe's company on the map as a major weapons developer.

Benjamin Keyes was typing away on his computer's keyboard and mumbling to himself. He was surprised to see Zoe glancing around the lab.

"Mrs. King, s-sorry I didn't hear you come in," Benjamin said feebly, spinning in his large chair. His dorky glasses and messy ginger hair did him little credit as a serious scientist.

"Save it," Zoe replied, "You had any success on our latest project?" Zoe walked over to Benjamin, leaning on the chair as he turned back to his computer. Ben tapped away at the keyboard.

"Some, I've ran some mock simulations through the computer and have a prototype synthesising as we speak."

"Good," Zoe looked round at the synthesising machine whirring and blinking away, at least, that's what she thought the machine was.

"Seems Veronica hit a bit of a snag." Ben adjusted his glasses, "She couldn't get the serum to override the human body's immune system. Each supposed step she took forward only ended up going sideways." He took a pause as he continued to bash on the keys, "Fortunately, Veronica has laid out the foundations for a working serum. All I need to do now is create a catalyst for it, something that'll initiate the effects at a rapid recurring rate. No elimination through human antibodies."

"Good," Zoe said as she tapped her palm on Ben's shoulder, something to show what appreciation she had for the young man. Zoe understood little to nothing of what Ben was saying, just so long as it gave her hope. "Any chance there could be side effects?"

"Unknown yet, simulations don't indicate any side effects or abnormalities."

"Alright, keep me updated on your progress. I don't want any accidents." Zoe began to walk away.

"Y'know," said a voice from behind, "You can always say 'hi' when you drop by." Paige ventured into the lab, wiping her hands with a dirty rag. "You're always so occupied by this shrimp you never see me anymore."

"Yes, hi Paige," Ben said sarcastically.

"Pfft," Paige scoffed; her aged exterior didn't affect her spirit at all. She always demanded respect and appreciation of her work. That's because she knew too well, that any rival company would jump at the opportunity to employ her. Someone with her experience was always desirable. Zoe took a glance into Paige's workshop.

"I see you're working on that old OsCorp glider as I requested."

"Yes ma'am," Paige replied with subtle disgust, "It's nothing like my beautiful raptor though-"

"Not this again." Ben interrupted.

"You kid have no appreciation of my art!" Paige yelled pointing towards the turned chair. "I bet it was you that stole it!" Zoe stepped between Paige and Ben.

"We've discussed this already Paige; security didn't pick up anything that night." Paige's 'masterpiece,' the R.A.P.T.O.R. suit was stolen a few weeks prior with no evidence who stole it. The R.A.P.T.O.R. had become an obsession for Paige, who could blame her though.

An aerial suit armed with an assortment of weapons, auto cannons, micro-missiles; advanced targeting system and an assortment of support technology should primary systems fail. The icing and pride of Paige though had to be the advanced artificial intelligence, which could control the suit should the pilot lose consciousness. Of course, it cost a small fortune to build; Zoe knew this all too well.

"It did, it was just a looped image!" Paige getting increasingly agitated, the thieves who made off with the suit had indeed managed to loop the feed to the weapons storage. So it never appeared like anything happened.

"Why won't you let me rebuild it anyway? The R.A.P.T.O.R. was cutting edge. Nothing like this paperweight you've given me." Paige gestured angrily towards the glider and flight suit in the other room.

"That prototype cost a fortune; we cannot afford to mass produce it," Zoe replied bluntly. She crossed her arms. Paige looked away in disgust, knowing that Zoe was the authority in the room. "My father and I appreciate what you've done for the company. That's one of the reasons I brought you here. But I will not, shall not put up with your accusations and demands." Zoe did not flinch, she stood tall and powerful. "If this continues, not only will I terminate your contract, but I will damage your reputation."

"You dare!" Paige replied angrily, preparing to go toe to toe with Zoe.

"I suggest you continue working on what I've assigned you then." She gestured towards Paige's workshop. "I want results by the months end." This enticed Paige back into her den. She turned and walked angrily back into her shop, grumbling and mumbling. Ben waited until Paige had turned her back to continue tinkering before he let out an impressed whistle.

"You don't take shit- uh..."

"She's old, my father put up with her, but I won't. Once she's done with the full arsenal for that gear, it'll make the R.A.P.T.O.R. look like a relic." Zoe did not mind that Ben had indeed sworn in her presence. In fact it was a welcome change. "Do not think this makes you an exception Ben. I need people I can trust." Once again, Zoe turned to walk out the lab doors.

"Yes ma'am," Ben answered; he turned back to his computer, tapping away on the keys. Zoe strolled down the corridors and by large glass windows. No protection to stop people from going straight through them, just glass and a sheer drop down to the asphalt. The afternoon's sun beamed through the windows. Eventually the corridors led in a large oval office, Zoe's.

OzBerry still in hand Zoe manipulated the device to bring up a holographic image. Placed it onto her large desk then initiated her desk terminal. A keyboard and screen indented into the desk with a large holographic projector just above. After running through several settings, the hologram burst into life, displaying all the information Zoe had amassed on her OzBerry.

Zoe took a moment to relax in her seat as the hologram automatically browsed through the data. Each file, audio log, piece by piece was transferred onto the OsCorp databanks. Zoe swivelled her chair round to a cabinet behind her. Another similar to the one at her home, filled with liquor. One drink to recovering an otherwise failed business venture, Zoe thought to herself. Where Veronica had failed, Ben would surely succeed.

A large bottle of vintage whiskey stood atop the cabinet. Zoe firmly placed her hand on the bottle and a nearby by glass. Removing the glass stopper Zoe took a smell of the fragrance, poisoning her mind before releasing a sigh of pleasure. With a glass poured, Zoe swivelled back round to face her desk and the hologram.

"What's the celebration?" Ellis stood tall beyond the hologram, staring through at Zoe.

"To a successful business venture!" Zoe raised her glass towards Ellis, before taking a swig of the whiskey. Zoe paused a moment with the glass still to her lips. "Who were your guests?"

"Business associates," Ellis replied vaguely as he glanced over the full motion hologram displaying all of Veronica's research. Zoe made her way round to Ellis and gave an overarching gesture with glass in hand.

"The future of medical breakthroughs, Ellis!"

"So this is what your mystery client was working on," Ellis took an interest in the data on display.

"Yes. Imagine a way to instantly heal severe injuries." Zoe raised her glass to Ellis' face, "This data will make up for the R.A.P.T.O.R. debacle!"

"I hope so, I hope so." Zoe continued to take more swigs from her glass as Ellis continued to gaze over the data. "We need to recover from that, so if this turns out a success, then this year's projects presentation event could be a resounding success." He ignored Zoe as she began to seek ways of grabbing his attention. Barely into the afternoon and already Zoe had exploited her own weakness.

She began feeling light headed. In her mind she was happy, delighted at the possibility of success through Veronica's endeavours. Zoe recalled how Ellis had tried to entice her into bed the night before. Mid afternoon sex perhaps? Neither Zoe nor Ellis had been intimate in the past months. All the stress following the OsCorp takeover had a degrading effect on the couple. Zoe regret turning him away, but now events had changed for the better and Zoe was willing, willing to forgive Ellis' late night disappearance. She was prepared to share an afternoon with Ellis.

"Ellis," Zoe said cheekily. Ellis glanced over to Zoe who had placed her glass onto the desk and had now begun unbuttoning her suit and shirt.

"Zoe you're drunk," Ellis replied as he approached Zoe and held her by the shoulders, "Again." He sighed.

"Not quite darling," Zoe persisted in removing her clothes before reminiscing, "Remember how we were before all of this? All this distrust, all this hiding?" Ellis removed his hands as Zoe removed her suit jacket. "We used to do this, in the offices after hours, or even during, out of sight. Remember?"

"I remember Zoe." Ellis placed his arms around Zoe, embracing her closely. The pair eased off slightly and Ellis lifted Zoe off the ground, "If you feel that way. Why don't we take the remainder of the afternoon off?" The cheek in Ellis' voice returned that same cocky confidence he always had. Zoe pecked Ellis on the lips.

"Just one more thing I have to do," Zoe said as she straightened her legs to stand. Ellis released Zoe and she walked around to her desk terminal placing a mobile phone into a docking bay. Zoe pressed a few keys on the phone's keypad and a dial tone rang through the office. Ellis grabbed Zoe's jacket from the desk as the dial tones stopped.

"Hello?" a voice echoed around the room.

"Ah, Miss Pyke," Zoe said in feigned delight, "Glad I could finally reach you." Ellis paced around in intrigue, listening carefully.

"Mrs King? Sorry, I didn't realise-"

"Call me Zoe, please."

"Uh, okay, Zoe. I have some urgent feedback for you regarding the project."

"No need to explain Veronica. I don't need your assistance anymore."

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"I've repurposed your research. You've failed to keep to our arrangement, so now your research and all its associated data is now OsCorp property."

"Wait, no! You can't do that it's-"

"I just did, Veronica. From here on out OsCorp scientists will continue your work. It's been a pleasure Miss Pyke, but we no longer require your services. Have a good day!"

"Wait you ca-" Zoe disengaged the call, cutting off the panicking Veronica. Completely unaware of the danger, Zoe had no concerns in the safety of the project; she just wanted to make as much profit as she could. Ellis handed back Zoe's jacket as she approached.

"She didn't sound happy," Ellis joked.

"Are they ever? She wouldn't do anything to me, besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Ellis held Zoe close as they walked out of the office, the hologram disengaged and the doors slammed shut behind, sealing away all the data and information. Zoe did not fear the young scientist; she had nothing to fear after all...


	8. The Next Step

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

"It's lovely up here..." said Regina, overlooking the horizon of towering buildings in New York. The symbiote squirmed over her body, still adjusting to its new host. Tendrils flailed in the breeze. It had been a week since the two met for the first time. During which, the pair got acquainted, if you can call it that. How does one acquaint itself with parasitic alien life? Painfully, it would seem. Despite Regina's differences of opinion with the symbiote, she was surprisingly delighted at possessing such an entity.

"_Yes, it is._" The symbiote replied, detecting a hint of sarcasm in Regina's voice.

"Now do you mind if I put myself upright now!?" Regina hung upside down from one of the Empire State buildings outcrops. Dangling from a single sturdy strand of symbiotic mass, Regina angrily requested the sybmiote to relinquish control. The symbiote did so and Regina lifted her bulk onto the tip of the outcrop, allowing one of her legs to dangle into the wind.

"Climbing skyscrapers is go-od and all." mass on her face retracted to reveal her own. "But I'd like to..." Regina effortlessly pulled off a handstand, facing out towards the city. "...have a bit more fun."

"_Want to bash a few heads in?_" the symbiote asked.

"I wouldn't quite put it that way. But it's an idea..." Regina paused a moment and orientated back to her feet, "Are you really that strong?"

"_Why don't you find out?"_

"Me?! I could never-"

"_Oh s__top lying to yourself. You know just as well as I. You are more than capable. You just need the hunger for it...__"_ the menacing tones spoke of wisdom and truth. Regina had this power, this opportunity to stand up for herself more than ever. Flashes of fear sporadically blinked in her mind. But, Regina realised that she should not fear anything. It is those around Regina that should fear her!

"Perhaps...let's just take it step by step. Rather than fighting, why not focus on something different?" Regina replied under the effortless strain of a handstand. In utter silence the symbiote ingrained memories into Regina's mind. A cold shiver seeped into her brain as mass connected, fragments from a previous life swinging through the city swarmed her mind. Regina imagined the possibility.

That dream last week, that distinctive dream – Regina flying through the city. Scaling buildings and leaping huge bounds was all that Regina and the symbiote had trained. Altering mass to benefit from the immense strength this creature possessed. Could she really swing, dive and cut through the air? Regina took a deep breath and stood up, taking steps towards the edge of the outcrop.

Mass covered her face again like a ski-mask. The distinct shape of the eyes returned but her mouth disappeared, shielded by purple skin. Another deep breath and Regina shut her eyes, preparing for the plunge. Her eyes opened, staring down the streets below. One final intake and Regina leant forwards arms out wide like wings.

Air rushed past Regina's head, whistling as she plummeted down head first. As soon as Regina anticipated an impending flesh meets asphalt scenario, she flew her arm into the sky and lashed a long strand of mass onto a nearby high rise. Momentum took her in a single powerful arc over the New York streets, past an ocean of windows. At the apex of her first swing, Regina released the tendril and yelled with delight as she lashed out another strand with her other arm, latching to a building opposite.

Regina did not feel like a novice, it all felt natural, like she had done this before; as if the symbiote had done it before. This freedom gave Regina a rush. Bystanders looked on in amazement as Regina's figure acrobatically flew above them.

"This is great!" yelled Regina. Adrenaline of the moment excited her. More possibilities slinked into her cerebellum.

However, a small aspect dwelling inside Regina's mind marred her excitement. Veronica made little contact with either Regina or Bryan. Only Dr. Connors had seen Veronica twice in the week to conduct necessary blood tests. Even then, Dr. Connors seemed to have gone dark. Bryan was unable to get any clarity on Veronica's situation, even his initial tests were beyond him.

Veronica was hiding, or protecting something. Regina decided to make her way towards Veronica's apartment.

"_Just can't keep away can you?_" The symbiote made an observation. True, Regina decided to keep a close eye on Veronica, but only out of concern. So she kept saying. Regina spied on her closely from across the street like a stalker. Even attempted to socialise with her, every time Regina visited Veronica was not interested. Veronica angrily turned her away, refusing entry. Her isolation serious concerned Regina; she was desperate to discover what Veronica was hiding.

Upon arriving at Veronica's apartment, rather than knocking on the door like a human being, Regina slid open one of the windows and slipped inside. Immediately she shifted her mass, assimilating into clothing. A familiar smell polluted the apartment, much stronger during the course of Veronica's week long seclusion. Something felt different. Not the smell, something else.

A slight crunch under Regina's foot startled her. Footsteps followed. Veronica was still inside the apartment. Quickly, Regina darted into the darkest corner among some newly acquired plant life. From the bedroom, Veronica emerged. She appeared in a worse state than before, her clothes were ragged and her skin appeared damaged and flaky, like she was shedding away. Veronica sniffed and scanned the room, unaware of Regina pressed firmly into the corner.

Skin flaked off Veronica's arm as she scratched it, clumps fell to the floor. Blood oozed from the wounds left by the feverish scratching. Regina feared that Veronica was in serious pain, yet miraculously, the wounds healed almost instantaneously. That serum Veronica created definitely worked, perhaps a little too well.

Regina could sense something was definitely wrong with her. Why all the secrecy? Clearly she needed more help. A loud snap shocked Regina; she crouched deeper into the shadows. However, it was not caused by Regina. Veronica groaned as she winced in agony. Grunting and panting with gritted teeth, her arm began to spasm and writhe. Awkward motions subsided momentarily and Veronica managed to catch her breath.

Regina cowered in the corner still, looking on with sympathy. No matter how Regina saw it, Veronica needed serious help. Maybe this was something between her and Dr. Connors? Why hasn't he picked up on anything and informed Bryan? Either way something was amiss, no doubt.

After the spasms settled to a pause, Veronica placed what appeared to be photographs onto her desk before turning back round to her bedroom. Intrigue got the better of Regina. Rather than leaving and telling Bryan she crept from the shadows to examine the desk. It appeared that Veronica was collecting photos of a building, a tall high rise that looked very important. Also some blueprint fragments of said building. Regina sieved through the photos until one made her skin crawl. A photo, a tall dark haired man and a woman, Zoe King, stood in front of a large sign reading 'OsCorp.'

Another portrait of Zoe King was attached to it. A large hole had been punched through the forehead of Zoe and shallow claw marks trailed from torso downwards. Regina could not make sense of the remaining paperwork that apparently had been added to the pile since her last visit, but it didn't look good.

"What are you doing here?!" Veronica said sharply from behind. Regina turned around in shock to see Veronica face to face. An almost sickly expression worried Regina even more. Green skin seemed to dominate Veronica's body; it had expanded since last week. It was only on her shoulder before, now it appeared up as far as her neck and hands.

"I came to see you." Veronica didn't listen, she firmly grasped Regina's arm and escorted her towards the apartment door. "I'm worried about you."

"Don't be. It's none of your concern," Veronica replied sinisterly as she tried opening the door. Locked, she tried again, still locked. Veronica turned to face Regina, gripping tighter. Regina could feel the grasp getting inhumanly stronger.

"How did you get in?" Veronica asked. Her expression gradually altered to fury. Beyond her intimidating gaze Regina noticed a sudden change in one of Veronica's eyes. Pupils narrowed and the iris transformed to a yellow hue.

"You're sick Veronica." Regina decided to dodge Veronica's question, she was too concerned with Veronica's well-being.

"It's not me that's sick. It's the whole world that's sick!" Veronica yelled as she gripped firmly onto Veronica's other arm. "People. People think they have such freedom to do as they please. But they're wrong. Those people need to be reminded that in society, acts of transgression will not go unpunished."

"_She's a nutcase. You sure know how to pick 'em."_

"Shut up," Regina said under her breath. Fortunately she recognised that Veronica had hit another trance like state. If symbiote cells were inside Veronica's body, it appeared that they too had a conflicting interest with its host. There was something different though.

Unlike Regina, who could control the symbiote and communicate with it. Veronica appeared completely helpless to the will of the symbiote cells. Rather than there being a whole entity playing parasite to her, it seemed the cells have infected her body. Plaguing her being with attributes of the serum, becoming an entirely different person or thing all together. Regina recalled how Veronica recovered previously. "I suppose I've got no choice have I?"

Regina took a deep breath and closed her eyes; she hesitated before leaning forwards and planting her lips onto Veronica's. Immediate response, Veronica gasped in surprise. However, rather than reacting and shoving Regina away she slowly closed her eyes. This feeling, unlike anything felt before, the gentle touch of Regina's lips. Impulse made Veronica raise her arms up and place her hands on Regina's biceps.

Regina felt her jacket crease from Veronica's touch. She didn't react negatively this time. Instead, Regina slowly removed Veronica's arms off of her and retracted her head.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked.

"Better," Veronica replied. She failed to say anything else. This young woman, someone she only knew for a mere week was already making advances. Never had she imagined kissing a woman.

Nothing prepared her for it. Yet she enjoyed it. "Not that I'm complaining," Veronica began, "But is this going to be a regular thing? That all of a sudden I come to and you're there...kissing me." Regina couldn't admit to Veronica that the kissing was a solution to recovering her. The symbiote's contact clearly does something to give her sense back.

"Uh...it could be," Regina answered embarrassed. No way could she explain the reasoning behind the kissing. Regina began to accept that she'd have to keep her secret. Regardless, the past week had her extremely frightened for Veronica. Bryan did say that Regina should get to know people. This perhaps wasn't what he had in mind. However, Regina had this feeling, something in her gut. It had been there since she first set eyes on Veronica, an attraction.

"We barely know each other Regina." Veronica focused a moment, then realised, "ha-hang on. How'd you get in?"

"Uh, the window?" Regina replied feebly, pointing behind her to the window. She grinned.

"You climbed?" Veronica's inquisition continued. Her brow lowered, confused.

"Uh, yes I'm very good at climbing, I've been practising." Regina continued to grin, praying that Veronica will cease questioning.

"Up the wall?"

"Yeeessss," Regina replied elongating the response, failing to realise that there was no fire escape or practical means to enter through the window.

"Smooth," sighed the symbiote. Veronica walked beyond Regina to the window.

"What are you up to Veronica?" Regina asked. Veronica turned back to her, gesturing towards the paperwork laden desk, "why all the photographs?" Veronica paused and turned back to stare out the window.

"It's something I must do; it's none of your concern." Regina had a feeling on what Veronica was planning and her reluctance to come out and disclose it was evidence enough. "I…appreciate you dropping by, but I need to be alone for now." The photos of OsCorp headquarters, the blueprints and the defaced Zoe King portrait, it all painted a clear picture for Regina.

"Fine, I'll drop it for now," Regina turned to the door and unlocked it, the key was still inside. "Please, just don't do something you'll regret." She turned the door handle.

"Regina!" Veronica spun round. Regina glanced back at her face, "Come back soon. Please?" Regina lowered her head a moment, smiled and nodded as she left the apartment. Veronica waited until she could not hear Regina on the stairs outside. Then she bolted over to the door and locked it tight. "I'm sorry Regina. But this has to be done." Veronica pulled a sickly green liquid encased within a vial from her pocket, the contents unknown.

"What do you think?"

"Hrm?"

"What do you think? Galaxy or Fire?"

"Fire." A lone, unmarked patrol car lingered by the sidewalk of Wall Street, inside lieutenants Mike Summer and Rebecca Vickers were having a trivial debate.

"Why 'Fire'?" Rebecca asked.

"My family's from Chicago," Mike replied. The pair discussed upcoming soccer fixtures. Rebecca scoffed.

"That doesn't make the team any better though does it?"

"Nope," Mike said with a smile, "I just like watching you squirm." Rebecca didn't pay much notice to Mike's attempts to provoke.

"Ok, enough soccer. How about something more local: lizard or purple girl?"

"Seriously?" Mike responded, "No one's seen head or tail of those two for a week."

"Ah, but what about the sightings of a person crawling over the buildings? Or the hundreds who claim she swung through the city just today!?"

"Thrill seekers? Dare devils? " Rebecca turned shaking her head, "you," Mike finished.

"Fuck off!" Rebecca fumed.

"Temper, temper, Ruby."

"Don't fucking call me that, I have a proper name," Rebecca pulled a tub from her jacket and popped the lid open. Mike looked on as Rebecca tipped two small capsules into her palm before launching them into her mouth.

"Do those ever work?"

"Why don't you try some and see?" Rebecca replied calmer. Whatever they were, they seemed to have a profound effect on the female lieutenant.

"I've no need for your antipsychotics, I'm perfectly sane."

"Says the man, who named her daughter 'Sapphire,'" Rebecca chortled as she popped another pill into her mouth.

"My wife named her that," Mike getting increasingly angry at Rebecca's disrespect.

"Alright, I won't say anymore if it pleases you." An awkward silence followed. Eventually Bryan couldn't help but laugh.

"Sometimes I think the captain has a sense of humour saddling us two together."

"Thick as thieves you and I Mike." Rebecca smacked Mike on the shoulder with her back hand. Her medication seemed to be having an effect. Next she took a cigarette from her jacket, put it between her lips and lit it with a specially branded lighter. Tar smoke filled the car as Rebecca blew clouds from her mouth. Mike opened his driver side window.

"Calm enough yet? Or will killing me please you?" Mike coughed and Rebecca chuckled.

"Oh yes! Much better," She replied leaning back into her chair and inhaling more smoke. Small puffs spouted from her mouth like a steam engine, wafting by Mike's nose before exiting the vehicle. "What is the deal with those two anyway?"

"Don't know, but I can guarantee that's not the last of them. The 'purple girl,' as you called her, I've no concerns about. It's that giant lizard that scares me." Mike shuddered at the mere mention. The thought that such a creature existed, he only heard of such things in movies and stories. Like a parent's tale to scare children. Though in Mike's case, it seemed to be the other way with how his daughter told it. He imagined the pain of those giant jaws wrapped around his neck. The crunch! Mike shuddered again.

"I'm not worried." Rebecca reclined her seat casually and pulled a hefty revolver from her holster. A deep drag followed by a delighted grin. "Either of them gets between me and this .44 and there _will_ be blood!" Rebecca faked a shot, sounding like a kid playing with a toy. 'Pow!' Mike shook his head with a jaunty smile humouring Rebecca's child act.

This made Mike think about his daughter. Her innocence trapped within the confines of the apartment block, like a prisoner, or an animal. Sick with an untraceable illness unlike anything recorded in modern medical history, an unknown disease which claimed her mother. Mike spent every spare cent he earned in order to care for his little sapphire but nothing was working. She was dying, slowly but surely she was dying. Despite seven years of suffering she still fought on, determined to survive.

Doctors wrote her off, claiming she wouldn't survive longer than a few months. How wrong they were. However, the uncertainty of the disease means that she could die any minute, at any time. The thought of getting home to a motionless, lifeless corpse rotted at Mike's soul. 'Be safe sweetheart.' He always said to himself. Rebecca was aware of her partner's predicament and helped out on occasion, whether it was money or sitter duty. One aspect Mike could tolerate about this woman was that her heart seemed to be in the right place.

The sun began to set behind the giant towers of the city, the magic hour rapidly approached - an entire city drowning in an amber hue before the void of night overtook the streets. Mike sat upright staring along the ribbon of tarmac, occupied by vehicular carnage. Petroleum choked his senses and car horns rattled ear drums. Closely, he observed the traffic and glimpsed through the metallic crowds onto the opposite sidewalk, paranoid of a potential danger.

Inversely, Rebecca just casually blew on her last smoke and flicked it out the open window onto the sidewalk. It impacted a bystander's boot as they stormed past the stationary vehicle. A path carved wide open as this figure tore through the crowd, knocking citizens aside as they collided. If only the two officers saw this person they would've been more alert to an imminent danger. A tall feminine figure, full trench coat and underneath a hooded jumper, sickly yellow eyes accompanied with green scaly skin. She stared into the sky, scanning a tall building a couple blocks ahead, OsCorp headquarters.

Veronica was making her move...


	9. Terror Tower

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

The hallowed halls of OsCorp headquarters remained full of employees. A rhythmic, but subdued beat of footsteps echoed around the main hall. Unopposed, Veronica stepped in through the revolving doorway. Her body camouflaged in excessive clothing, one of her many trench coats, a hooded jumper and some fingerless gloves. Gloves most likely scrounged from an unfortunate, homeless soul.

"Excuse me!" A young receptionist yelled at Veronica. She turned to the woman behind an ecliptic desk, spanning from one wall to another. From a distance you could mistake Veronica's figure for a bum or thug. The clothing, unconventional to any OsCorp employee, Veronica donned made her stand out like a black sheep. She approached the receptionist. "Can I help you?" asked the radiant young woman.

"I'm here to see Zoe King." Veronica slammed her palm onto the desk.

"I'm sorry; Mrs. King is not accepting any visitors today." The receptionist leant forward slightly, almost intrusively as she tried to peek at the face of the tall woman, "You can make an appointment and we'll let you know when she's next available."

"Make an exception," Veronica boomed, slamming her second palm onto the desk. The receptionist gestured her head towards Veronica. A tall, broad bruiser of a man stomped towards the desk where these two women were talking.

"As I said miss, Mrs. King is not taking any visitors this evening." The receptionist began to shiver as this woman stood imposing before her, never shifting. Veronica's body began to tremble. Low raspy, guttural noises emitted from her cloaked face. "Now if you won't leave, I'm afraid Mr. Jones here will have to escort you out."

"**He can try**," Veronica snarled. Both Mr. Jones and the receptionist looked at each other perplexed. The voice was unlike the soft tones heard before. Mr. Jones placed his boulder like fist firmly onto Veronica's forearm.

"I think it's time for you to leave." He tried shifting the woman from the desk. His burly physique struggled to remove Veronica's petit hands, one glance at the desk and he saw why. Nails had dug straight into the marble, fastening Veronica to the desk; she was never going to be shifted by this man, regardless of how big he was.

The receptionist became increasingly uneasy and alarmed that she could not see Veronica's face. She stammered, "N-n-n-no hoods inside the building please." The receptionist gestured up at the cameras, but Veronica was paying no mind. She just stood there, frozen and silent. "Are you listening to me?" Both the receptionist and the burly Mr. Jones glanced back and forth a couple times before an alarming growl caught them by surprise. The receptionist inched away from Veronica.

Increasingly alarming noises emanated from Veronica's hood. A compelled Mr. Jones placed his hand firmly atop the woollen hood of Veronica who had now become completely silent. Mr. Jones brushed back the hood revealing Veronica's sickly features. Her face lathered in green scales. The receptionist screamed as Veronica's skull malformed into a powerful, reptilian snout. A loud screech from Veronica and spines erupted from her back, tearing through her coat. Terror filled the lobby and the OsCorp faithful bee-lined for the exit.

"What the hell?!" Mr Jones yelled. Veronica pried her hands free from the marble. She turned and pounced onto the giant forcing him to the ground. Mr. Jones slid on his back along the waxed marble floor away from the reception desk and into view of everyone else. Panic echoed around the halls and lobby as Veronica's body warped instantaneously. Her bulk enlarged and more spines erupted from her brow and forearms. Coat fibres ripped and tore.

A loud brassy scream came from Mr. Jones as Veronica sunk her teeth into his neck. A nearby water feature ran red with gushing cascades of crimson fluid as Veronica tore through large man's neck and ripped his head straight off. She seemed more powerful, more attune to her body. Her instincts and motivations were more human than before. However, the beastly urge to feed and kill remained.

"What the fuck is that?!" yelled a guard who witnessed the violent spectacle, pointing a puny stun gun at the giant lizard woman. Veronica took interest and grinned with a bloodied smile. She slowly zigzagged towards the guard; he was terrified, hands trembled in disbelieving fear.

"Ke-keep the fuck away from me!" Veronica just snarled as blood dripped from her mouth. Sudden panic and the guard fired his stun gun at Veronica. No effect. The barbs hit, but the shock did little than tickle Veronica. Distinct guttural sounds came from Veronica; she was snickering at this man's feeble attempt to hurt her.

This prompted the guard to flee. No good, Veronica charged him down. She head butt the guard's calf with such force that it broke. He cried in agony as he crashed to the ground. Veronica followed her charge through and trampled over the guard's back. He wailed and screamed as claws embedded into his tissue. Another fierce chomp followed and the guard was silent.

Fleeing employees kept screaming, evading the reptile as they bound onto the streets. Veronica had little interest in these onlookers. She did snap at the odd one to scare them. Still, they posed absolutely no threat to her. However, the call had been made, police began to crowd outside. Pathetically, animal control had been called in to assist too.

Gun barrels aimed at the glass doors. A few officers caught a glimpse of the large humanoid shape through the panes. The last employees cleared out of the lobby leaving Veronica poised atop the mauled corpses of her victims. Her sail twitched and brows shuddered as her senses tingled. Flicking her tongue into the air, Veronica could sense her target, many stories up. As a group of police officers breached the lobby Veronica leapt onto a wall and quickly crawled into a ventilation duct, heading up the tower.

Tyres screeched loudly as Mike Summers brought his car to a sudden halt. Both Mike and Rebecca leapt out and approached the officer in charge.

"What's going on here?" the officer turns towards Mike and his partner, gazing into the sky.

"Some kind of wild animal, apparently."

"What are we looking at a lion? Something escape from the Central Park zoo?"

"Nothing of the sort. Witnesses say it's the giant lizard. First response caught a glimpse of the creature as it fled into the buildings ventilation. They're sweeping the tower now." Mike looked up the towering OsCorp headquarters, a monument of glass windows and steel. His skin crawled.

"How long have they been in there?" Mike asked the officer.

"Uh, twenty minutes, half an hour maybe. We've not heard a thing since they took an elevator up."

"Right…" Mike pondered for a minute as more officers arrived at the scene. Rebecca stood anxiously, gently caressing her revolver slung in holster. "…Fuck it. Give me your weapon officer." Mike produced his hand to the officer, who held a shotgun firmly. Reluctantly the officer handed his firearm over.

"You can't just walk in there, we've orders to stay put and await further instructions. We still haven't heard from the response team." Mike didn't pay attention; he scrounged together some loose shells from the officer's squad car and shovelled them into his pocket.

"They're in danger officer; the longer we wait the more likely they'll be dead," argued Mike as he strapped on a Kevlar jacket, Rebecca followed suit.

"Captain Stacy said-"

"Captain Stacy is not here, I must act."

"You undermine his authority!" the officer protested.

"Well, he'll just have to arrest me then," Mike grinned. He gestured towards Rebecca and she followed.

'Better them then me I guess,' the officer thought as he watched Mike and Rebecca approach the building.

"Fear not, we'll handle this," Rebecca yelled back to the officer. The pair charged into the desolate lobby, safe for the corpses of the two security personnel. Nothing more than a lifeless, mangled pulp of flesh stewing in their own juices remained. Rebecca gasped, close to hurling bile from her gut. Mike groaned in disgust. Mutilated corpses always got under his skin, naturally. He feared those responsible for such acts. Fearing what could happen to his little girl should these 'sickos' remain.

Mike gazed up to the ceiling, picturing what was crawling around the ventilation, the giant reptile. "Come on. We've gotta go up." Despite keeping his composure, the sight of a beheaded corpse even sickened him. Realistically, Mike was terrified; he scanned every corner and every angle as he climbed the stairs to the upper lobby. The shotgun dug into his shoulder as he held it tight, ready to pump buckshot into the nearest threat. Eerie silence filled the lobby, even the fountain had been shut off. There was nothing. A loud scream over radio static ruptured the silence, accompanied by the sound of gunfire.

"Shit, we must hurry!" Rebecca yelled, the two dashed towards the elevators and frantically bashed the pads. Incoherent radio chatter started flooding the pair's ears, filled with pleas and alerts from the first response squad.

"Too fas…whe…e is it?"

"HEL-"

"ARRRG-"

"Come on, come on!" Mike whispered as the gunfire continued, now being punctuated by even more screaming.

"Ne…ackup...81st floor…abs!" Finally the elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Both Mike and Rebecca got inside and bashed the '81' button. The elevator shut firmly and climbed the tower. Radio chatter had ceased. Only the sound of the elevator motor could be heard.

"Summers? Do you read?" it was Captain Stacy calling over the radio.

"Yes sir!" Mike acknowledged.

"Note that while I do not appreciate your decision to ignore a direct order, we need you to scout that floor out."

"Yes sir."

"Good, we also understand that civilians are still trapped inside."

"I thought they all got out," Mike responded surprised.

"Not all, some are still coming out as we speak but one high priority target is still inside." Mike had a good feeling on who, "Zoe King, the OsCorp CEO is still inside."

"Understood sir, where should we be looking?"

"Her offices are on the 82nd floor, one floor up from first response team. Keep this channel open and keep us updated."

"Yes Captain Stacy." The elevator dinged at the 81st floor and the doors slid open. Mike and Rebecca aimed their firearms into the outstretched corridor. There were no voices, no screams and no gunfire. Either the response team took down their target or had ceased to be. The pair took slow deliberate steps down the corridor, scanning cross sections leading to other passages. In this maze of offices one wrong turn, one misstep and they could be lost.

"Stay close Mike," Rebecca said. Mike didn't respond but detected the slight fear in her voice. The unsettling silence began unnerving the pair, "Gah, fuck this. Where's first response?!"

"Don't panic, stay calm," Mike replied. Rebecca was panicking and now her hands began to tremble. A sudden low droning sound alerted the pair. The lights began to fade into total darkness. Rebecca wailed in surprise at the sudden void. She breathed low and fast. Low growling could be heard.

"Mike?" Rebecca asked. No reply. She paced around in the darkness reaching out for a solid surface. With no torch, Rebecca could only use her lighter as a visual aid in the blackness. Only her immediate vicinity was visible. A narrow corridor before her, one passage that way and same the other. Mike was nowhere to be seen. A terrifying growling sound could be heard not too far away.

"MIKE?!" Rebecca yelled into the darkness. Emergency lighting managed to quell Rebecca's fears momentarily. She could at least see her surroundings better but still no sign of Mike. A sound from behind her attracted her attention.

Revolver ready, Rebecca aimed down the dim hallway, her hands still trembled. To counter this Rebecca removed her capsule loaded with pills; she pooped the lid and tipped a load in swallowing them straight down. Her hands settled as her mind lifted. Still focused on the job, Rebecca explored the corridors, seeking both her partner and the missing police team. The low growling seemed to shadow her. It was everywhere.

"Where the fuck are you, Mike?"

Earlier, Zoe had been making plans.

"Mrs King we must get out of here!" Benny yelled.

"I can't, I've some things I must do."

"You can't be serious? There's a dangerous animal in the building, we have to evacuate now!" This did not impress Zoe. She stood tall before Benny, imposing her authority upon the subordinate.

"You're going to help me with something Benny."

"What?! You can't be serious?!"

"I'm deadly serious. All the secret projects data we've accumulated need to be backed up. Then the remaining evidence needs to be destroyed."

"Okay, so why do you need me?"

"I trust you, I expect you to assist me with this endeavour." Zoe removed a pistol from her desk drawer and presented it to Benny.

"Whoa! I've never used a gun before. Do I really need this?" Benny asked cradling the gun.

"Yes." Zoe said bluntly

"Alright, what are you planning? What do I need to do?"

Zoe activated her desk terminal, displaying a layout between the 80th and 85th floors, "I want you to go down to the lab and login to your terminal. I'm heading up to the server room to wipe all the data regarding our 'anonymous' projects," Zoe illustrated where she was headed on the holographic map, "When I release the failsafe's for data security, there will be a short sixty second window in which you must activate the emergency backup procedure. All the data will be redistributed to a secure databank in my possession. There they will remain until further notice. All the data here will be destroyed." Zoe finished and the hologram vaporised.

"This is all a bit drastic. I mean, why all the secrecy?" Benny asked shrugging his shoulders.

"The police are out there. And if what I think is happening, is happening, then I must protect my reputation."

"All to prevent a grand inquisition, eh? Fine I can respect that, but what if the window is missed? For the failsafe."

"Then all the data will be eliminated and years of research gone. It is imperative that you activate the backup procedure from your lab station before that failsafe expires."

"And the gun?" Benny asked holding the gun up.

"In case that monster shows up. Which I'm almost sure it will." Those words did not fill Benny with any confidence. It seemed a certainty at least one of them would come face to face with this beast. Benny hoped that it wasn't him. However, given that he was heading into the lab where all the samples were stored, Zoe knew that the creature would most likely encounter Benny first.

Benny had the simple task of just pressing a button once called upon. '_How hard can it be_?' He thought to himself. As he approached his laboratory he heard the low droning of the power cutting out.

"This is a bad idea," he said aloud, "That woman is crazy. Why does she need to do this?" The emergency lighting kicked in and Benny stepped into his lab. It was quiet, an unfamiliarity that made him uncomfortable. Normally half of the machinery would be functional, synthesising formulas and chemicals for the secret projects. Benny had a simple understanding of the server fail safes, he was orientated on them briefly following his employment but never quite expected to utilise them so early in his OsCorp career.

"Login…password…" Benny said under his breath as he typed away on the keyboard. Suddenly a crash came from the adjacent room. From Paige's workshop a vent grate had been dislodged from the ceiling and was now on the floor. In its place was a scaly tail, poking out from the duct. Benny gasped and dived into cover.

Beyond the glass he could hear the muffled impacts of feet colliding with the solid surface. A steady rhythm of steps grew into a rapid dash and the creature launched itself through the dividing glass. Shards rained down onto the ground around Benny's lab.

He could hear deep sniffing close by. Benny feared it would smell him and that'd be the end of it. He held his gun tightly, anticipating the creature to poke its head round the corner. However, it didn't reveal itself to Benny. Instead the creature proceeded to destroy the lab. It grasped vials of chemicals and smashed them to the ground; it swung its tail into cabinets and machinery.

Benny took a peek at the beast since it was too occupied to notice him. It was a tall lizard-like creature, it appeared more human than animal. Sometimes it was crawling around on all fours, flailing its tail around. Otherwise it was standing upright on hind legs, grasping clutches of vials and beakers before flinging them around Benny's lab.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Benny panicked. The dim emergency lighting didn't alleviate any of his fears. If anything the red lights created a malevolent atmosphere. Shadows on the beast made it appear demonic in the blood illumination.

Veronica stopped; she had smashed the lab and now noticed the active terminal. Text scrolled and prompts pinged. A whirring drive beeped and scratched within the large computer. Veronica skulked over to the terminal and managed to make vague sense of the terminal. The lights piqued the reptile side of her mind rather than her human reasoning.

Sudden judders and a beaker fell from a nearby desk. Veronica cocked her head and body round like a serpent. Crawling on all fours in slithering, irregular movements, Veronica scouted the circumference of the long rectangular desk. Stench of human sweat and fear excited Veronica's senses. Her expression, even as a lizard showed the emotion of delight.

Benny cooped himself inside one of the desks cabinets. Slowly, he pulled back on the handgun's barrel. It cocked into place and Benny took deliberate deep breaths. Beyond, he could hear the paws of the lizard clashing with the marble floor.

It snorted loudly, like a vacuum or a giant fan. The creature was sniffing him out…

Regina was rapidly scaling the buildings of New York like an obstacle course. Swinging from roof top to rooftop, mounting flagpoles and launching into the sky, Regina was desperate to reach OsCorp tower. Off in the distance a couple helicopters were circling the tower.

'_Fuck,_' Regina thought as she continued her approach. '_I shouldn't have left her alone._' Regina knew exactly what she was heading into. Veronica was in the tower. What for, Regina didn't know exactly. Either way, she was dedicated to protect her. One final strand of symbiotic mass latched onto the skyscraper and Regina, comfortably, connected with the building. She was about halfway up the tower.

"Which floor do you think?" Regina asked her other as she looked down towards the crowd of blue uniforms.

"82nd," it responded.

"How do you know?"

"Just because I'm an 'alien' doesn't mean I'm illiterate. Your girlfriend's sheets said so." Regina started to rapidly scale the tower.

"She's not my girlfriend," Regina stated.

"Well, your 'not-girlfriend' is up there. And I'm itching for a fight." Regina didn't respond, she was too focused on reaching Veronica. "Here," the symbiote said. Regina stopped and looked into the building. Red lights shone through the weaves of corridors. She took her head and snarled loudly as she smashed her skull through the window pane; the momentum took her through and into the building.

Regina couldn't hear anything unusual. Sirens from outside could be heard from the new ventilation solution Regina had invented, but beyond that it was mute. No sign of a disturbance.

"Can you sense anything?" Regina asked herself as she calmly walked down the corridors, using her attuned senses to feel out the environment as she went.

"She's here," the symbiote replied with elation, "Four others. Two cops…one of them is perhaps of varying mental degree. One…nerdy boy, scruffy, needs to bathe more…"

"How d'you know?"

"I can feel them, their emotions...just like how I found you."

"Where's Veronica?" Regina demanded. She continued down the corridor as she patiently awaited the creature's response.

"Not far…"

A loud warning signal erupted from Benny's terminal. Veronica snarled in surprise and Benny darted from cover and bashed the keypad. He was now in plain sight of the creature, it grinned at him.

"Shit," Benny said feebly as he pointed the gun at the seven foot creature. He squeezed the trigger. One round flew from the muzzle barely scathing Veronica. She sniggered with low tones, revelling in this prey's pathetic attempts. Benny was petrified, he couldn't fire another shot. After what he'd seen, why bother?

Veronica firmly grasped him by the neck and throttled him several feet off the ground. She pulled her snout forward and licked Benny's face, lathering him with saliva. He almost gagged at the blood stench oozing from her maw. Her tongue returned to her mouth and snarled.

"Where is Zoe?" she spluttered out incoherently.

"Fuck," Benny replied in horror. He couldn't believe it. This creature spoke. Veronica screeched loudly at Benny before repeating.

"Where is Zoe?!" Veronica began squeezing her grip; talons started digging into Benny's throat.

Suddenly a louder, much monstrous screech echoed through the lab as the lizard was launched from her feet. Benny was released and collapsed onto the floor. He glanced at the new gaping hole in the lab wall where the lizard had disappeared.

"Benny?" Zoe's voice was coming from the terminal. Benny pulled himself up to the desk to see Zoe's face animated onscreen.

"You do it?"

"Yes ma'am, but uh…we've got a pr-problem"

Regina and Veronica tussled in the corridors, both exchanged blows with one another. A vicious ballet of brute force between two unnatural beings ensued. Plaster was smashed out of the structure as bodies collided.

"_This wasn't the best idea was it?"_ the symbiote mocked.

'Shut it,' Regina thought. She was much too occupied with the seven foot problem before her. Veronica was biting rapidly and wildly at Regina. Scales scraped alien flesh and window panes shattered as Veronica flailed her tail around her body like a whip. Each miss enraged her more and more. Her banshee screams pierced Regina like a bullet.

"Fuck, that really hurts," Regina groaned. A barrage of shrieks was substantially more painful than a spike to the gut. The frequencies of Veronica's screams weakened the symbiote.

"_The noise, make it stop!"_

Regina launched herself towards Veronica, bulking her mass and tackling the lizard into the ground.

"Veronica, stop this!" Regina yelled. Veronica didn't respond, she wrapped her tail around Regina's torso and flung her aside. While still within her coils, Veronica catapulted Regina through the ground and into the corridor below.

Regina grunted in pain as Veronica scuttled through the hole and onto the ceiling.

"She's stronger than I remember," the symbiote mused.

"Mind giving me a hand then?" Regina asked as she got to her feet slowly. Amusingly, the symbiote morphed an extra limb on Regina and presented a palm before her.

"You know…" Regina suddenly got whisked from her feet and dragged along the floor as Veronica pinned her. "…that isn't helping."

Veronica's bestial instincts had taken over. Red mist descended as the image of this creature tormented her before. She had no desire greater than to end this beast. By manipulating her mass, Regina was able to create a clump of tendrils that launched Veronica over her and down the corridor. Veronica disappeared out of sight.

"Let's change this up a bit," Regina grunted as she pounded her way through into the nearest chamber. Mechanical arms, tipped with what appeared to be lasers decorated the laboratory. Hand grenades with distinct pumpkin like expressions loaded on belts and lines. This was a manufacturing line for OsCorp weapons. Regina morphed down to normal size. She knew too well that in this environment, speed and agility would benefit her most.

Dark thoughts began circulating around Regina's mind, not an influence of the symbiote, natural thoughts. The plant, if active, could prove to be a worthy assistance against the reptilian Veronica.

A loud crash came from the plant ceiling. Regina sunk into the wall, her mass merged with the paint, camouflaging her.

From the ceiling, Veronica emerged, scuttling around on the ceiling like a spider. Her talons digging into the plaster work. Regina casually observed from the corner as Veronica skulked around the plant. She sniffed and sniffed. Veronica knew that her opponent was in here, she could sense her. Slowly, Regina slunk to the floor and started crawling stealthily around, trying to locate the controls.

Veronica continued poaching the laboratory, even starting to damage equipment to uncover Regina.

Suddenly, the plant erupted into life. Laser beams activated and terminals beeped. Regina had activated the production line. Veronica snarled and Regina burst out of nowhere and speared into Veronica, knocking her back against a rack of grenades. Regina slung a few towards her and the symbiote clasped them tight to her forearm. Swiftly, Regina shot to the ceiling as Veronica got her balance and shrieked. By now the production line was in full swing. Mechanical whirs and clunks produced more and more of the pumpkin grenades.

Veronica lunged at Regina, and with that momentum, Regina swung her towards the laser beams. A loud sizzling burn and a brutal thud followed. Veronica slowly got back up; however, her tail had been cut clean. It was a few feet away, twitching violently. This did not amuse Veronica. But before she could even retaliate a grenade was flung towards her. The detonation blew her backwards. Shrapnel pierced her skin and scarred her reptilian body.

Veronica tried to recover from the sudden shock, but Regina was on her in a moment. The reptile was stunned and could not react as a grimacing maw formed upon the purple creature's face. It grinned at her, just like before.

Regina placed a firm hand on one of the mechanical arms and twisted it round to face Veronica. The laser was still active. With a swift motion, Regina lopped off Veronica's left forearm. The lizard wailed in a contorted jumble of beast and human pain.

Green lights shone bright from Regina's grenade as she activated it.

"Don't move!" Regina turned to face a woman, aiming a rather large revolver at her. It was Rebecca Vickers. "Put the…weapon on the ground." Regina turned and mockingly put her hands up with the grenade held aloft. "Drop it I said!"

"If you insist," Regina replied and threw the grenade in Rebecca's direction.

"Whoa!" Rebecca dived backwards away from the grenade as it blew a few feet in front of her. More of the assembly line was damaged by the explosion. Rebecca coughed and gradually got to her feet. After the smoke thinned, she could see the figure standing there, laughing hysterically.

"I'll give you something to laugh at," Rebecca said furiously. She aimed her revolver and pulled the trigger. Regina acknowledged the click of the hammer and bolted away from Rebecca's sights. The bullet ricocheted off the far wall. Rebecca traced Regina around the room and out into the corridor. She managed to squeeze off a couple more rounds, not one impacted the sleek, purple menace. "Mike, are you there? The lizard and that purple bitch are here," Rebecca said hopefully into her radio, "I'm in pursuit of one now. God, I hope you're getting this." She blindly charged out into the corridor aiming wildly in all directions.

Unknown to Rebecca and Regina, Lizard had managed to relocate. Within the safety of the ventilation system she began working her magic.

Flesh renewed itself. Bones, muscle and scales grew back and her arm was just like new. Her tail regenerated like nothing happened. The rapid process proved that Veronica's experiment was a phenomenal success. Perhaps not quite how she intended though.

She still sought her ultimate prey: Zoe King. Veronica slowly crawled through the vents, sniffing out her location.

"Come out!" Rebecca yelled down the halls. "You haven't a chance!" Regina just giggled from her corner, gleefully. She glided around the shadows, growling and giggling.

"What are you going to do?" Regina began. Rebecca spun round to face only darkness. "Arrest me?" She giggled at the pathetic prospect. "Nah, it's you who doesn't have a chance." Hyperventilating, Rebecca continuously waved her aim around the corridors, taking blind steps in disjointed patterns. The case of drugs she kept sagged in her pocket, Rebecca pulled the case out. Immediately, Regina launched the case from Rebecca's sweating palm. A small glance was enough for Rebecca to pinpoint her foes location and fired a quick shot from her revolver. Again, another giggle from the darkness and Regina quickly analysed the case. She snapped her tongue against her teeth, making a clicking sound of disappointment.

"An officer with a drug problem," Regina mocked. Rebecca, infuriated, fired another round. One round left in the chamber.

"Come out and face me bitch!" Rebecca screamed.

"You really need to calm that temper of yours, or…ah I get it! This helps? Well, where are my manners?" With that Regina sarcastically flung the case out into the light. The impact immediately caught Rebecca's attention. Sweat was pouring out of her like water trickling out of a faucet. She steadily approached the case, weapon still raised.

Purple talons struck out from the darkness and gripped the barrel of Rebecca's gun. From the darkness, Regina's devilish face emerged. Rebecca reacted instantly and squeezed the trigger. Regina's head flung backwards. The chamber rotated and continued clicking as Rebecca kept trying to fire another round. It was empty.

Regina's face returned to face Rebecca, now horrified. Beyond gritted, grizzly teeth, a single revolver shell was caught neatly inside by Regina's tongue.

"Now, that's just not nice," Regina said gripping the metallic frame tightly and swung the barrel and her fist directly into Rebecca's nose, sending her back some distance. Rebecca cowered on the floor, scrounging around her pockets for ammunition. Regina spat the casing out.

"I'll get you!" Rebecca said defiantly. A speed loader brushed her fingers. She revealed it, but Regina reacted quickly by striking the loader from her hands. Rebecca hit a window, she couldn't go any further. Regina relentlessly approached, her skin flailing to and fro. Above Rebecca, Regina crouched down and grasped Rebecca firmly by the throat. Rebecca gagged. Air was being crushed from her as the beast gripped tighter.

"Let's get some air, shall we?" Regina grinned. A confused look on Rebecca's drained face was replaced by terror as Regina threw her victim through the window, still firmly within grip. Regina gradually released her grip and Rebecca wailed and screamed as air returned. The night breeze rushed past her head as Regina seemed to be reminiscing, taking a peek down to the street.

"I wonder if one can hear their own bone's crush as they fall from a great height."

Rebecca tried to get words out, but only splutters of fear and panic escaped her windpipe. Symbiotic mass began shifting around Regina's face. She wanted to try something, give her foe one last gratifying look of the woman who would kill them.

"Get one last look…" she began. Teeth began rising to reveal Regina's mouth.

"Drop her!" Mike said cocking his shotgun.

"You really should be careful what you wish for!" Regina joked, her jaw speaking through the partially open maw.

"You '_drop_' her and I'll drop you. Now, carefully bring her back inside."

"If you kill me, every cop in New York will be after you!" Rebecca spluttered under crushed throat. Regina gritted her teeth in anger, she really wanted to kill. But, did she really? Sudden reasoning returned. In all the action, the adrenaline had become a drug. The perfect climax would've been the demise of this police officer. To avoid being public enemy number one, Regina, reluctantly pulled Rebecca back into the building and placed her carefully on the corridor's marble flooring.

"Good, now turn to face me." Regina turned to face Mike as her face returned to its monstrous norm. Something struck her, this officer, there was something fiendishly familiar about him. His face and those eyes, a lot like someone she knew very well.

'_Bryan?_' she thought. No, it wasn't Bryan, Bryan is slightly taller and certain imperfections that only Regina would notice were not there.

"_Family reunion?_" the symbiote noted. Even it knew there was something familiar. Regina released her captive and shoved her towards the officer.

"Mike," Rebecca said relieved.

"Mike?" Regina whispered. She had no reason to know that name, but something about the symbiote's presence made it recognisable. Mike gazed in confusion at the purple beast.

"You're coming with us," Mike declared uncomfortably to the beast.

"Oh come on, I just gave this fucking spiel to your colleague here, you can try-" A gunshot alerted Regina and the officers. "That's not one of yours."

"How do you know?"

"'Cos they're all dead." Regina darted down the corridor.

"Stop!" Rebecca yelled fumbling her holster for a weapon that wasn't there. Mike didn't react or respond to Rebecca. He was more amazed at what he'd seen, baffled more than anything. Yet, he knew that if the Lizard was still in the tower, then perhaps it was up to that woman to stop it.

"Oh, Veronica, Veronica," Zoe said menacingly, "what have you done to yourself, hmm?" She took her weapon and fired straight into Veronica's shoulder. She screeched loudly. "Good aren't they? My 'good friend' Paige made them. Stops anything, regardless how thick its armour is." A regenerative lapse had made Veronica vulnerable.

She could no longer face Zoe with her full strength. Veronica stood precariously in front of one of the many window panes. The gallery stretched the tower's radius and the streets lay below. There was nowhere for Veronica to go, not in her state. Slowly, she was changing back.

"Sorry it has to end this way Veronica." Zoe cocked the gun barrel and inserted another large round. "But you should have just left well alone. Now, stay dead." Zoe gently squeezed the trigger. Fire erupted, and huge kickback flung Zoe backwards.

From the shadows Regina screeched, "Veronica!" She was too slow; the round impacted Veronica straight in the torso. A defeated wail followed as the round ripped through scales, sinew and muscle and busted through the window. Veronica followed it through and out the window as she collapsed. Regina dived after.

A few stories down, a police helicopter was hovering. The sheer bulk of Veronica collided with the rotors and damaged them. Screams filled the night's sky as onlookers saw the mangled lizard corpse tumble beyond the helicopter. The helicopter had lost control, the rotors were badly damaged and the pilot could not regain control.

Regina plummeted down the tower in pursuit of Veronica. However, she could not ignore the increasingly descending helicopter. If it continued, the craft would surely kill any beneath it. Regina shot a pair of tendrils which successfully latched onto Veronica. She pulled on them to close the gap between herself and Veronica. Quickly, Regina manoeuvred her body to piggyback Veronica, the symbiote wrapped tendrils around her body to secure her. Veronica was unconscious and missing another limb, plus some reasonable scars.

The helicopter was still spiralling down. A blaze was gradually forming on the tail and the pilot inside was stuck. He could not get free. Regina latched onto the craft and could see the pilot frantically trying to get loose from his harness. Heat from the tank was seeping towards the cabin. Regina tried to grab the metal frame of the door, but the heat caused the symbiote mass to retract, revealing her bare hands.

"Dammit," she shouted. Inside the pilot was literally pleading to Regina to get him out. "I can't get the door open!" She yelled in vain.

"_One life or a few dozen__, y__our choice."_ The symbiote stated. Regina had no choice but to accept. If she didn't stop the craft from crashing, then the few dozen, hundreds, below would be killed or injured. Regina looked again at the helpless pilot, still desperately trying to free himself. Latching mass onto the hull, Regina steadied herself for the stupidest thing ever. With another mass of strands she latched onto the OsCorp tower.

As the helicopter plummeted beyond and away from Regina she could see the pilot inside making his final cry for help. It was for naught. With Regina acting as a pivot, she swung the helicopter into the mid-lower levels of the OsCorp tower, narrowly avoiding any critical structural weaknesses and the streets below. A glorious fireball blew from a hole in the building and the burning wreckage was well lodged into the structure.

A few shards of debris rained down from the impact point, but fortunately enough people had dispersed to avoid the pieces. Regina looked on relieved yet remorseful. She had saved dozens of people from dying, but at the cost of one. It didn't make her feel any better. She dwelled on it and the symbiote feasted on it. Negative emotions fuelled it and Regina was a smorgasbord to gorge upon.

Onlookers pointed and gazed in amazement at the creature. A police helicopter shone its spotlight at Regina. She held her hand up to protect her eyes.

"That's my cue to go," Regina said as she threw a single strand and swung away from the tower with Veronica leeched to her back.

Regina eluded the police and hunkered down in Veronica's apartment. Mass lifted Veronica over Regina and she cradled her into her bedroom. Iggy was waiting patiently for the return of its master. Veronica was still unconscious and she had not changed back yet. Lying on the bed was a giant, humanoid lizard, battered and beaten, the right leg missing.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you, maybe if I was stronger," Regina said remorsefully.

Suddenly, the leg began to reform, Regina watched on in startled amazement. Within seconds, Veronica's leg was completely regenerated. The scars incurred by the helicopter rotors were minimalized too. Veronica's body began to shrink as her features returned to normal. Her overstretched garments glided over her curves.

Regina thought it best to let her rest; she carefully removed Veronica's clothes. Utilising her symbiote fully, Regina was able to cover Veronica's bare body with her bed sheets. Veronica stirred calmly.

"Regina," she said. Her eyes were still firmly shut.

"I'm here for you." Regina kissed her gently on the forehead before walking out and slowly closing the door.

"You came back…"


	10. The Osborn Curse

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

Zoe remained fixated on the dark horizon. With a firm drink in one hand she took a deep swig of the amber nectar. A dressing gown draped over her nightwear. Ellis gazed on as Zoe stood in front of the grand windows, stretching from floorboards to ceiling. She was as calm as ever, almost oblivious to the prior events. Stone cold, there was nothing like it. Zoe just kept taking deeper and deeper swigs of whiskey until her throat boiled.

Ellis could not bear it anymore; he stepped over to his wife and held her firmly from behind.

"You've been standing here for the last hour," Ellis said calmly, "won't you please come to bed?" He kissed her gently on the cheek to encourage her. Zoe did not flinch. Ellis approached her from the front, blocking her view.

"I can't sleep…not now." Zoe shook her head and reached for the bottle of whiskey. Ellis stopped her and held her forearm tightly.

"Enough," he said sternly, "enough already." Zoe looked straight into Ellis' eyes. A masked remorse was clear for her to see. But Zoe ignored it. Forcefully, she removed Ellis' arm and shoved it back into him.

"Just keep off me you slime." Zoe was unforgiving of Ellis' late excursion over a week ago and had done so a couple more times since. In her drunken stupor, she was incensed. Her mind was more focused on the creature that attempted to destroy her research. However, Zoe knew all too well who it was.

Veronica was walking a fine line, teetering on the edge of oblivion. Zoe denied any connection between her and the beast. If the city knew of her indirect relation with the beast, her reputation would be in tatters. Not to mention, jeopardise all of her secret projects. If anything, witnessing Veronica in such a powerful state inspired her.

"I'm not your enemy here Zoe, I'm trying to help you," Ellis responded, reaching out to her. Zoe, this time, did not turn him away.

"I know, I just can't stop thinking about tonight. You realise the board's going to ask questions."

"They're on our side, Zoe. I'll handle them."

"I'm not worried about them," Zoe continued.

"Then what is it?" Zoe paused for a long time. The silence was enough for Ellis to understand. He knew the answer, even before asking such an easy question. "It's that Lizard right?" The look Zoe shot sealed it.

"It's nothing," Zoe argued. Ellis watched on as Zoe poured yet another drink and took strong sips. With her free hand, Zoe removed a katana from her prized weapons display. Weapons from many era's but mostly a noteworthy collection of samurai gear. Zoe swung it around, perfectly balanced in her off-hand whilst downing litre after litre of whiskey. Her constitution could only take so much.

"Stop this!" Ellis said approaching Zoe. Swiftly, Zoe pointed the katana towards Ellis. Cold steel was mere millimetres from his face. "Enough of this nonsense, you need a good night's sleep."

"No," Zoe answered immediately, taking another swig. "I will not allow that bitch to jeopardise my company and my reputation." Zoe took steady steps towards the door.

"Enough!" Ellis yelled, he dodged the blade and gripped the hilt firmly. Zoe tried to retaliate, but her vulnerable state made her weak. Ellis clutched Zoe's wrist tightly, the pressure made her release the blade and Ellis was able to discard it on the floor. The katana clanged against the wooden floor as Ellis wrestled with a disorientated Zoe; he tried relieving her of the whiskey glass.

"You need a good night's rest," Ellis groaned, "drinking and ranting will not do you any good!"

Zoe repeatedly tried to retaliate, but her overexertion was useless. No matter how loudly she grunted, no matter how much she tried, Ellis was in control of her. His hands were firmly gripping Zoe's wrists. Eventually, Ellis managed to grab Zoe's entire body and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her controlled as best as he could. She continued to resist.

Alcohol and pure rage boiled through her veins. Zoe was determined to overpower Ellis.

"Calm down already!" Ellis firmly held her back. A sense of defeat began calming her nerves. Or perhaps it was deceit. If she went along with it, along with Ellis, then maybe she could sneak out later.

"Alright," Zoe said quietly as her body relaxed. Ellis removed one of his hands and, rather than contain Zoe, embraced her. Zoe kept hold of the glass as Ellis carried her past the study's large vertical mirror and into the bedroom. "Thank you," Zoe whispered and leant up to peck Ellis on the cheek as she was lowered onto the bed.

Ellis smiled and removed the glass from Zoe's hand and perched it on the bedside table. As Ellis prepared himself for bed Zoe removed her gown and dropped it on the floor. She slipped under the sheets and stared at the bedside table. A drip of whiskey reflected the remaining light from the study. It tempted Zoe but, for the sake of her ruse, she remained still.

Ellis returned to the chamber and shut off the lights, unaware that Zoe was still awake. He assumed that because her head was turned that she was dozing off.

Zoe just lay in wait. As the clock chimed past one Zoe made her move. Silently, she removed the bed sheet and crept out to the study. In the darkness, the study seemed to cast grizzly shadows. The masks mantled on the wall and the weapons were intimidating in the moonlight. Boards creaked under Zoe's feet, causing her to slow her movements. She lit one of the lamps beside the fireplace illuminating a large portrait beside it.

Previously this portrait had the image of the last owner and OsCorp CEO, Norman Osborn. Now, it had a portrait of Zoe, draped in a golden dress and a face mask to match. The artist had done it in the aftermath of Kings Arms annual corporate fancy dress party. A piece she was really fond of. Behind it was a safe. Zoe dialled in the combination and it swung open.

The penthouse creaked and wailed in the night. Zoe feared that Ellis was watching her, but there was nobody. From within the safe, Zoe removed a vial. Its golden glow excited the intoxicated Zoe. She made her way down the tarnished corridors of the penthouse towards the elevator down. On the way, Zoe picked up an overcoat and stumbled out of the penthouse and down to the street.

A taxi drove by and Zoe caught its attention. It slowed up to the sidewalk and Zoe got in.

"OsCorp tower," Zoe said, refusing to look at the driver. He peered back at his fare for a moment before driving off.

Bryan sat alone in the apartment. He kept rotating his phone between his fingers. Regina hadn't been home all day. This was unlike Regina, not just the independence, which he figured was a positive, but that she was never around. The months prior to coming out to New York, Bryan had enjoyed the company of his sister.

Now it was just like the last time he was here, alone and filled with doubt.

"Where are you Regina?" He tried dialling Regina's mobile again for what seemed like the millionth time. A dead dial and straight to voicemail. Bryan didn't bother leaving a message; Regina would eventually see the amount of times he'd tried contacting her.

He could not sleep. Fear had manifested in him. It didn't help that he'd been watching the newscast. He witnessed the terror at the OsCorp tower from the safety of his home. Paranoia was getting the better of him and Bryan could do nothing to alleviate his concerns. Only when he could hear Regina's tones would he be calm.

"Where are you, Regina?" Bryan stared out on to the increasingly dwindling streets and then towards Stanley's comic store. 'Perhaps she's with Veronica,' he thought to himself, clinging to the single shred of hope he had left that night. Exhaustion was creeping in; he'd been awake for so long that he began dozing off at the window. With nothing more to do, Bryan surrendered and opted to get some sleep. He slumped onto the couch and closed his eyes, wishing that Regina would come back, hoping that she was okay.

A musty atmosphere dwelled in Veronica's bedroom as she slowly awoke. It was still dark out, but the night's events had kept her on edge. Groaning, she sat up, allowing the sheets to drop. The slight humidity of the apartment enticed her peculiar senses. Her bare skin felt comfortable in the warm confines of her dwelling.

"Was it a dream?" Veronica quietly asked herself. Did she go lizard again and attack OsCorp tower? The memories were too vivid for it not to be a dream. She remembered as much as going into the tower and traversing the ventilation system. Afterwards, it all just vanished; nothing until now.

"Regina," she said, remembering those soft fleshy lips, massaging her forehead. Bare as the day she was born, Veronica strode out into the lounge. Regina was there, crashed out on the sofa, her jacket was discarded and the purple shirt was slipping off her shoulders, revealing her beautiful neck line. Veronica squatted down in front of her and adjusted her hair slightly, removing it from her face.

Regina stirred, but her rhythmic breathing continued, a steady wisp of calm. Veronica smiled at the vision of this beautiful young woman. Strange, Veronica had never such an attraction to another woman. Then again, she was never too successful with the men either. She was always so enthralled by her science that a relationship always played second fiddle.

Veronica had been kissed by Regina in awkward circumstances, more than once. For once, Veronica wanted to return the favour. Somehow, she was always there. Deep down, Veronica couldn't help but think there was some kind of coincidence. However, she was too entranced by this woman that such concerns were nullified.

Veronica lurched forward and planted her lips on Regina's. This time Regina stirred even more and her eyes began to open. Veronica feared how Regina would react seeing her like this. But, as Regina's eyes began to focus, Veronica was determined to control the situation.

"Veronica, you're-"

Veronica interrupted and gently shushed the wide-eyed Regina. "You know, you're very cute when you sleep." Regina wasn't sure how to react. Veronica sat beside her, naked. Regina couldn't believe it. She wondered if perhaps Veronica was in a trance again.

"Are you feeling alright?" Regina asked trying to sit up.

"I'm fine."

"Okay, but…you're uh…naked," Regina blushed.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about," Veronica said reassuringly. Regina was certain that Veronica was entranced, but this was not the case. The look in her eyes, it was Veronica. It wasn't her 'other.' "Come on," Veronica said as she produced her hand. Regina slowly extended her arm.

Veronica got a grip of Regina's hand and wrist before hoisting her up. "I will not allow you to sleep on that old couch tonight," Veronica guided Regina towards her bedroom.

Regina could not speak; she was silenced by Veronica's prospect. Her palms became sweaty. Strange how Regina could be cool in the face of adversity, yet when presented with an intimate situation she becomes a shivering wreck. What was made even stranger was that these two were at each other's throats no more than a few hours ago.

The musty confines of Veronica's bed chamber unsettled Regina. It wasn't that there was a large iguana staring at her, nor the fact Veronica was naked, but rather fear of what might happen tonight. Best case scenario, Regina survives the night at gets away without incident. Worst case, Veronica goes lizard and tries to kill her. Though with the way Veronica was looking at Regina, there was only one option.

Veronica sat comfortably as Regina inched her way to the other side of the large bed. Veronica giggled, "You can't sleep with your clothes on."

Regina blushed and reluctantly slipped her shirt off. With her back turned, Regina swiftly slipped under the sheets to cover her feminine anatomy. Beneath the sheets, the symbiotic mass detached from Regina and slinked under the bed. Regina blushed and blatantly looked over the bed as the symbiote slipped out of sight. She imagined the symbiote was laughing and that this was some ploy.

'Great,' Regina thought. 'In bed with a half-reptile and my protection just bolted.'

"You're awfully quiet," Veronica noted, Regina looked over, cowering beneath the sheets, "Take it this is your first time?"

"You have no idea," Regina said, her glance drifting between Veronica and the space between the wall and the bed, hoping the symbiote would reappear.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Regina smiled, "you know I only live across the way?"

"Yes, but you looked so settled on that couch I figured you'd be staying." Veronica got her there. Honestly, Regina was concerned something might happen. However, she did not bet on this. "Good night 'Gina." Veronica leant over and kissed Regina on the cheek.

'Not even my mum called me 'Gina,' Regina thought as Veronica went to sleep. The sheets were surprisingly comfortable, considering they looked second hand. A bare Regina felt a little weird lying in the bed naked, more so sharing it with a woman she hardly knew. Despite the worst outcome, Regina couldn't think of anybody right now she'd rather be with.

Against her better judgement, Regina snuggled up to Veronica and pressed herself up against her back.

"Thank you," she whispered into Veronica's ear. A slight smile adorned Veronica's dreaming face as the pair drifted off.

Zoe evaded the scant officers patrolling OsCorp tower's exterior and headed straight for her laboratory.

"I'll show Veronica just who she's dealing with." Lights and computers beeped once again in the OsCorp mechanical orchestra. A large glass chamber in the centre of the lab stood out among the other equipment. Monitors blinked and displays illuminated as Zoe prepared the chamber. Zoe kept muttering to herself as she typed away on the keyboards.

"Now's the time, Benny, if this kills me…" Zoe gazed at the golden vial. A concoction that Benny brewed: a prototype performance enhancer drastically improved over the previous Osborn formula. Or so Benny claimed. 'No known side-effects he said,' Zoe thought as she placed the vial into a device beside the chamber. A series of pipes led from the machine into the chamber. A hiss confirmed that the vial was sealed and secure.

Security was switched off following the attack on the tower, so the cameras in the chamber would not capture what Zoe was about to do.

Zoe dropped her overcoat on the ground and attached some wireless monitoring devices to her body. These would record her 'transformation.'

'Begin cycle?' blinked on the nearby computer terminal. Zoe bashed the keyboard and the large chamber opened. A timer began counting down on the screen and Zoe stepped into the chamber.

'5 seconds' counted down on the screen. Zoe's drunken state struggled for balance in the center of the chamber, but part of her regular state of mind forced her upright. As the counter reached zero, loud hissing filled the chamber as gas was pumped in. The amber cloud grew and grew, enveloping Zoe completely. She took deep, deliberate breaths, inhaling the rich vapour.

Monitors began beeping violently as Zoe's heart rate accelerated. The vapour hit her bloodstream and was now being pumped around her veins. Every clear entry point of her body seemed to absorb the chemical, even seeping into her eyes. Zoe's muscles seemed to expand gradually. Her figure went from slim to athletic in mere seconds, an uncanny sense of strength surged through her body.

More of the vapour chemical seeped into the chamber until the vial was empty. However, Zoe began to ache. She grunted and groaned in the vapour. Her new muscles were at the apex of the enhancement. But her skull was in immense pain. Her eyeballs burned. Zoe screamed violently, wretched and hoarse.

The chamber doors finally opened as the last drop of vapour vented from the room. Zoe had her hands to her eyes. She continued screaming and collapsed out of the chamber to her knees. Her hands felt damp with tears. She pulled her hands away so she could see clearly. It was not tears. Her hands were drenched in blood.

Zoe's vision was partly stained with blood, like looking through an artistic filter of red. Blood poured from her sockets in crimson tears. Blotches dripped from her cheeks and onto the ground.

"What?" Zoe stood up and looked at her reflection in the chamber glass. She examined closely. Her blue eyes were now seriously bloodshot and the iris was part red and blue.

"Benny!" she yelled and threw her fist straight through the glass, shattering it completely.

"That," Zoe said in bewilderment, "that was reinforced glass." She grinned and picked out the glass shards from her knuckle. "And I didn't even feel…" Zoe sharply removed a large shard that had pierced the skin between her middle and index knuckle. "A thing." Zoe chuckled slightly, which gradually escalated into a large scale cackle. This continued until Zoe finally calmed down and walked out of the lab and up to Paige's workshop. Zoe eyed up the flight suit and the glider.

"Oh Paige, this is far beyond mass production, this masterpiece needs to be fit for a _queen_!"


	11. Frenzy

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

Nightmarish visions clawed at Regina's skull. A growing darkness enveloped and ensnared her very being. Suddenly her mind awoke. She was still in the bed, Veronica beside her in deep sleep. Sweat glistened in the silver moonlight. Her usually tidy hair was messy from excessive thrashing. Sat in the bed, Regina felt uncomfortable. An unusual feeling surrounded her. Everything felt unreal.

"Regina," Veronica said as she awoke. A strange echo bounced around Regina's ears. "Are you alright?"

Regina couldn't speak.

"Can't sleep?" A growing fear escalated. Regina clenched the bed sheets tight. She dangled her arm over the bedside in anticipation of the symbiote clutching to her. A bare Veronica swivelled out of the sheets and mounted Regina. Golden blonde hair veiled Veronica's features. An alarming darkness beneath golden streaks unsettled Regina. Then the familiar sound of deep growling as Veronica's pupils turned narrow.

"Regina…" she said. Her body began to shift and break as she reformed. Regina begged for the symbiote to return. Bones snapped, muscles twisted and bulged reforming the young beauty. "Regina…" she repeated.

The transformation continued. Regina was still pinned to the bed and could not move despite her best efforts. The symbiote would not return. Her arm remained dangling, but the creature would not return. Regina panted in terror, her breathing accelerated.

Then the lizard tore into Regina…

Regina screamed loudly.

"Regina, calm down…" reassured Veronica. Regina's eyes were wide open, dawn sunlight streamed through the blinds. No darkness and no giant lizard loomed over her. Veronica was gently holding Regina as she shot up from the bed. "You were having a nightmare, sounded like a pretty bad one the way you were thrashing around."

"Veronica, I was…you were." Regina was disoriented still. Veronica lovingly hugged her and gently rubbed her back.

"It's okay." Veronica felt a little uncomfortable reassuring a woman in her twenties in such a way. But she did also consider that she did not have parents to console. Perhaps it was sympathy, but Veronica considered it could be love.

In naked embrace, Veronica gently pecked Regina on the cheek. "It's okay," she whispered again. A thunderous knock rattled against the apartment door. The pair gasped in shock. Regina prepared to get up but Veronica prevented her. "No, I'll get it," she said.

Veronica flung out of bed and swiftly draped herself in a gown hanging from inside a decrepit wardrobe. The knocking continued as Veronica disappeared into the living room.

"I'm coming!" Veronica yelled. Regina heard the door open slightly then clunk against the door chain. "Bryan, you here for Regina?"

"So she is here," Bryan responded. He tried forcing his way in before Veronica calmly removed the chain and allowed the worried figure inside.

"She's not 'decent,'" Veronica said assertively as Bryan made his way towards the bedroom.

"Oh," Bryan replied quietly. Regina heard everything and she slowly slipped out of the bed, as her soles hit the floor, the symbiote instantly reformed clothing, covering Regina's bare body.

"You were here the whole time," she whispered furiously.

"_It's the only way you'll be prepared,"_The symbiote had feigned it's detachment from Regina. Instead only a chunk had left Regina.

"Regina, are you 'decent?'" Bryan asked from beyond the bedroom wall.

"Yeah," answered Regina as she turned to the doorway. Bryan stepped in, he wasn't followed by Veronica. Anger and fear combined to create a visage Regina hadn't witnessed before. Bryan approached Regina.

"Have you been hanging around Veronica this whole time?!" Bryan whispered angrily. In the other room Veronica had begun making some breakfast. "I was worried, you don't answer your phone, and you leave without a word." Regina was ready to reply but Bryan kept on talking. "I know you want to change and I appreciate you taking the effort to do so. But please, don't forget your brother worries, 'kay?"

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me," Regina finally replied. As Regina walked out of the bedroom, Bryan stopped her by the wrist.

"No, I don't think you are, maybe…coming here was a bad idea."

"Well, I disagree." Regina forcefully freed herself.

"What's happened to you? What's happened this past week that's made you so confident?"

"I met someone special; does that satisfy your questioning?"

"Veronica? I think you should stay away from her. She's got problems of her own." The atmosphere was getting increasingly hostile between the siblings. Regina's tone was noticeably more aggressive. Bryan feared her insanity was taking hold.

"Maybe you should be looking out for yourself and stop worrying about me." Regina went toe to toe with Bryan.

"You can't seriously expect me to just let you go about as you please with your 'issues,' I was worried."

"Well don't! _We_ don't need you," Regina said sternly. Bryan was stunned silent. For a moment he thought Regina might actually punch his face in. The look in Regina's face was of pure rage.

"Alright," said Bryan quietly. He began walking out. "I'll leave you two be then." Bryan walked past Veronica sat on the rotten couch with paper in hand, and prepared to walk out the door. "I know you've got your own problems," said Bryan to Veronica, "but please look after her."

"Of course," Veronica responded. Bryan vanished out of the apartment. Regina leant on the bedroom door frame as he left. "Regina, what the hell was that?" She looked at Regina astonished.

"I don't need his pity; he needs to stop concerning himself with me." Slowly, Regina drifted over to the couch and took a seat. Veronica shuffled across to her, glancing between the closed door and Regina.

"He's still your brother, think how he must feel." Veronica put down the paper and prepped her fingers. Gently, she pressed her digits against Regina's neck and onto her shoulders, below the shirt. "I wish I had a brother like him, someone looking out for me." Her hands glided over Regina's shoulders as she carefully massaged them. Regina felt alleviated and started to become relaxed.

"I didn't know you had any family."

"You didn't ask, and no I don't. I never knew my parents, or if I have any siblings. As far as I can remember, there was just me and the world." Regina could sympathise with Veronica to an extent. But ultimately, Regina knew who her parents were. A luxury Veronica didn't have and never would. However, whatever Veronica was doing, it was having a remarkable effect on Regina.

"_She's good,"_ purred the symbiote.

"That's nice," Regina said, ensuring the symbiote's feelings were heard. "What was that?"

"Just a little trick I picked up on my travels. Not so stressed now, are we?" Veronica removed her fingers from Regina. For a moment Regina thought that she was referring to her and the other. In a second she realised this was not the case and smiled. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Veronica got up and made her way to the kitchen to finish preparing some breakfast.

"_Her? Hungry?"_ jest the symbiote. Regina took no notice and reached out for the paper strewn on the table before her.

'Frenzy at OsCorp tower,' read the headline. Regina took a slight intrigue at the story and read through it. Vague details indicated that Veronica was there, or rather the 'Lizard,' as the Bugle called her.

A tally of bodies rested on her conscience, Regina was uncertain if Veronica was aware of this. She refused to believe it. Regina felt vile, having to deal with one dead on her conscience was enough. Yet, that was different, she had no other choice. Quietly, Regina hoped that Veronica didn't know.

"I hoped you wouldn't read that," said Veronica as she peeked over Regina's shoulder.

'Does she always sneak up like that?' Regina thought, recalling yesterday when she confronted Veronica about the paperwork on the desk.

"Have _you_ read it?" she responded.

"I don't need to, I was there," admitted Veronica. She conceded that Regina knew, after yesterday, it was unnecessary denying it.

"What happened?" asked Regina, face straight as a post. "I want to hear your version, more so," Regina paused to look at the paper a moment, pretending to take a keen interest as an uninitiated. "What's it like being that thing?"

"_Frenzy,__"_ whispered the symbiote. Regina ignored it.

"It's unpleasant as you may gather, Regina." Veronica then began indulging Regina with the stark details, "Imagine having your body torn from the inside out, bones snapping and shifting to form a new being. And imagine your muscles exploding to accommodate such a radical change. Worst of all, it's always there; even now…I can feel it, screaming in the back of my mind, screaming to be free."

"_Oh I can't imagine,"_ joked the symbiote.

"I-I can't imagine," Regina dictated the symbiote's words and got up with the paper still in hand. Unlike Veronica, Regina's secret was still secure. She wouldn't surrender it quite as easily as Veronica. "You must be very strong to go through such a thing."

"No," replied Veronica, "I'm not strong enough. I'm not strong enough to stop Zoe and that…thing." Distain endowed Veronica's face. Of course, she was referring to Regina's other.

"Thing?" asked Regina, acting purposely naïve.

"This thing." Veronica forced the paper from Regina's hands. A few shreds ripped from the two grasping the sheets. "This…'Frenzy.'"

"Frenzy?"

"I know it's just a word, but don't you think it seems fitting, given the chaos?" Regina pondered for a moment.

'Frenzy,' she thought. Something about that word just clicked, like it were a seal of approval from the symbiote.

"_Yes, it does seem very fitting. I like it!" _the symbiote agreed. Regina was too self-absorbed to notice Veronica sifting through her collection of OsCorp diagrams. Below the pile though there were different files, much more distinct than simple diagrams. Formulas, equations and senseless writings that, to the untrained eye, meant nothing, but to Veronica, meant everything.

"Zoe and that thing are in cahoots," stated Veronica. "Her pet minion. Another of her 'science experiments' I wager."

"_Science experiment? Me?! __I'll __show__ her science experiment__!__"_ raged the symbiote. A tense surge slithered around Regina's body. It caught her by complete surprise and in a moment, she lost control. She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn't move, she tried to walk, but her legs would not go. She was a prisoner inside her own body. The symbiote was now the puppet master, Regina's body was now it's.

"_NO!__"_ Regina cried out from her prison.

"I don't think so," said the Regina-imposter.

"_No, those aren't my words!" _Regina screamed. Her voice just echoed in an empty space, like yelling into a large, empty metallic chamber.

"The Bugle might say otherwise, but I just know it. I feel it," Veronica responded unbeknownst to Regina's sudden change. Her stride was more confident, full of vigour. A stance, unlike any Regina had displayed prior. Insidious strings had moved Regina closer to Veronica and she reached out.

"_What are you doing?!"_ Regina watched on as her palm was manipulated onto Veronica's shoulder.

"Can you feel this?" Regina's palms gently glided over Veronica's clothing, the symbiote could feel the fabric through its host's senses. This was an experience unlike either had encountered before.

"Yes," Veronica responded, not quite sure how to react.

"Oh." The palm went underneath Veronica's clothing, brushing a surprisingly rough texture. The symbiote noticed that Veronica's wound had worsened. Rather than just simple moss coloured veins, scales began forming around the injection point. Regina foresaw what was about to happen.

"_Don't!"_

"How about…this!" A bellowing scream followed as the symbiote dug Regina's nails into Veronica's scaled skin. Veronica was caught off guard and something inside was growing, her mind became hazy. Blackness filled her memory. The beast was trying to take hold.

Regina's symbiotic tendrils weeded and threaded around Veronica's body. It was encouraging a forced evolution of Veronica's mutated cells.

"_Enough!"_ Regina tried to regain control. Her body jerked as pieces of her humanity returned. The symbiote wasn't prepared to allow her, not without a fight. It sought something in particular. Regina could feel it what this request was, but refrained, determined to force the symbiote's tendril strings off of her.

Veronica was in agonising pain. Her transformation was not materialising. The symbiote's hold prevented it. Her body was being altered by the invasion of more cells. The DNA of the reptiles were being spliced and enhanced.

"Stop it," said the Regina-imposter, it could feel the human side vying for control. "You've had your fun, now it's my turn." Regina could no longer bear the sight of Veronica wincing in agony.

"_Will you stop?! Please!__"_ Regina begged.

"Oh, but we're enjoying this."

"_No, I'm not!"_

"That didn't seem the case last night, what's different?" quizzed the symbiote. It prodded at the clear brutality Regina displayed towards the Lizard at OsCorp tower. Though, the symbiote would gladly admit that its influence ultimately bred her relentless nature. But, mostly, it wasn't. Regina had become absorbed by the strength the symbiote wielded that her 'insane side' took hold.

"_But this is Veronica, not the Lizard."_

"They are one in the same, just like us," stated the symbiote.

"_No. I'm Regina…I'm-"_ Regina hesitated. There was no denying what she had become under the influence of this being. And clearly, it wasn't going to be swayed until she muttered that distinct word.

"Accept it. This is who we are."

"We're crazy, I am crazy, mad, destructive. We're…we're…"

"Yes?"

"_FRENZY!"_ Regina yelled, finally conceding to the symbiote's childish game. And, as if on cue, she was instantly reunited with her body and retracted away from Veronica. She collapsed to the floor. Regina dropped to catch her. Veronica had blacked out, yet she stirred in Regina's arms.

"We're Frenzy," Regina whispered.

"_See, it wasn't that hard,"_ a stoic demeanour from the symbiote aggravated Regina.

"I swear, if you-"

"_Good, we like you angry. Oh, it's delicious."_ The symbiote savoured Regina's hate. It would satisfy it for at least a short while.

"Regina?" Veronica's eyes opened, "Whoa, I must have blacked out for a sec." Regina just played along, calmly.

"Are you alright? You just collapsed all of a sudden." The lying was painful. But she just had to accept that the less people knew about her alter-ego the better. Regina helped Veronica back to her feet.

"Did I? I feel strange." Despite Regina retracting her symbiotic mass, a sliver of purple slipped gently into Veronica's body. The bonding had done something to her, yet the effect was unknown. "Maybe I should just take it easy," Veronica said as she went about her normal morning routine. Regina watched on with fondness as did the symbiote.

"We should catch a movie later, give us a chance to spend some time," said Regina gladly.

"I hear there's a new film showing tonight. Got a pretty good write-up," Veronica replied.

'_What exactly did you do?'_ scoured through Regina's mind. The symbiote acknowledged the thought and simply responded.

"_We've improved her, __'__Frenzy__'__…"_ Regina feared exactly what that meant…

Ellis awoke, alone. Tapestries on the wall hung low and an amber glow crept through the crack in the door. An empty space on the king-sized bed beside Ellis did not go unnoticed.

"Zoe," said Ellis. The door leading to the study was ajar, but the bathroom door was wide open. A towel lay discarded by the doorway as slight droplets of water lead towards the study. Ellis crawled out of bed and pulled his dressing gown on. He walked out into the study where Zoe was stood in front of the window. The angelic rays of light shone down on her.

Ellis sighed and Zoe looked at him sternly.

"Hey sweetie," Zoe said calmy before Ellis could say anything himself.

"Don't tell me you've been there all night," Ellis finally replied.

"Of course not, I just got up early." Zoe made her way towards Ellis, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ellis reacted sheepishly.

"You seem awfully happy."

"Well, last night did me some good I suppose." Zoe plucked a biscuit from a tray a servant had laid out earlier. "I want to speak with the board."

"You know that's not your strong suit, Zoe. Please, let me handle them."

"No, I think we need to take this company in a different direction. Create something much grander than what they want." Zoe took a hefty chunk out of the doughy snack. It crumbled in her mouth.

"That's not wise. The projects convention is in a few days and right now I've got the board right in my pocket. Besides, we've stuck with them until now. Why the sudden desire to switch it up?"

"Ambition. Something they lack, Ellis." Ellis made steady steps towards Zoe. "I know you helped convince them to take on the bid for OsCorp. Ever since then they've been too timid and reluctant to pursue grander ventures."

"But, you said before-"

"I know what I said," boomed Zoe, "But this is now. And now, I say we break the mould." Zoe was grinning hysterically at Ellis. He noticed something in her eye, quite literally. They were increasingly bloodshot.

"No," Ellis said assertively, "You're not well. Ever since _you_ came here you've not been the same. Secret projects, clients and now this whole 'Lizard' fiasco." This time, it was Ellis reaching for the whiskey bottle. He took a slight swig from the bottle. "Is it this? Because if it damn well is then you need help!" Zoe forced herself upon Ellis. Fire was in her eyes, wide and devilish with a grin to match.

"You don't control me; stop telling me what to do! I can handle this," Zoe answered with a menacing, gravelly voice.

"No, you cannot and this proves it." Ellis carefully removed Zoe as she relieved herself. "The board is my concern now. Everything will be fine. Give me a few days, at least until the projects convention. Have few days to yourself, then see how you feel."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Zoe replied devilishly, "But, if I'm going to spend some 'time alone,' then we should have some time together beforehand." Zoe boldly placed her hand against Ellis' chest and ran it down to his waist. With her other hand she began unbuttoning her gown.

"Okay," Ellis conceded. He lifted Zoe up and carried her back to the bedroom, "I promise, things will change, you'll see."

'_Yes, they will…'_

"Who the hell does she think she is!" yelled Bryan as he slammed the door behind him. From inside his apartment, Bryan looked out the window across the street. 'Oh, I can take care of myself,' Bryan said girlishly imitating Regina. He sighed heavily. "Now I am reduced to…spying on her from a distance. Why won't she talk to me properly?"

Bryan mused for a few minutes. That girl was not the Regina he knew. She was someone else. But Bryan could accept, in some way, that was a good thing. Yet, her attitude reminded him too much of an insane girl from the past. Even in the period between her college exclusion to a week ago she had improved. She seemed more open. Now, she'd gone back into her hole.

Regina would share everything with him. Any trouble, any torment she would converse with Bryan for words of reassurance.

Now she would confide with that other 'insane' woman, Veronica. She was reckless and a risk taker. Bryan figured, perhaps, Regina liked that sort of thing – Regina possibly wished to emulate that attitude. But even then, Veronica had some compassion. She was honest and open to Bryan and Dr Connors' inquisition. Regina was not so much open, as it seemed.

A knock alerted Bryan. He quickly went to the door and pulled it open slightly.

"Dr Connors," he said. Connors was stood with briefcase in hand, dressed in suit and trousers. Not a lab coat like before.

"Bryan, can I come in?" asked Connors. Bryan opened the door swiftly and beckoned the doctor in. He closed the door behind him. Glancing around, the doctor didn't seem all that focused.

"I've not heard from you for a week, doctor. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, but I need your opinion on this." Connors fished around in his case and removed the vial of green ooze – Veronica's serum.

"That's Veronica's serum," Bryan stated, "I thought everything was destroyed from the lab."

"You'd be right, but I scrounged this together with the remaining notes on Veronica's research. For all intents and purposes, this is the same sample she used that night, minus one element."

"The symbiote."

"Right. But now look at this." Dr Connors removed a second vial, this time containing a blood sample. It appeared normal at first, but then it started to morph and change colour, purple and green tints swirled around. "That's weird. It's never done that before."

"Huh," said Bryan dimly.

"It's never been active. All week it's been idle…fascinating."

"That's Veronica's blood I take it?"

"Yes, but I've never seen it like this. Something seems to have it agitated."

"It's still got the symbiote cells, so that must be why it's reacting so." Bryan took the vial from Connors' hand and examined it briefly. Then he was passed the other vial, Bryan claimed that too. "Is this why you're here, for me to examine them?"

"I'm a physicist, Bryan, not a biologist. I've done as much testing as I can."

"Okay, I get why you brought me the blood sample, but why Veronica's serum?"

"As I said, I've done what I can. Those two elements directly affected Veronica. I'd like to know what you see." Bryan turned away and placed the two vials on a table. "Now I must go, I've got some matters to attend to. Please give Veronica and Regina my regards." Dr Connors helped himself out and stopped just outside. "Let me know if I can help in any way."

"You done enough already doctor, but yes I will." Bryan shut the door slowly and glanced back at the desk. "What the." Strangely, the blood sample was moving, literally moving the vial along the desk towards the bedrooms. It almost fell off the table before Bryan seized it.

"You're certainly an active specimen aren't you? But why are you so interested in what's down there." Bryan used the vial like a compass and walked down the corridor, carefully observing the direction in which the blood sample was jostling. The direction changed, now it was frenetically lurching itself towards Regina's room. Enthralled, Bryan stepped inside. Then the blood went berserk and turned a disgusting darkened red.

Something about this room agitated the creature. 'But what?' Bryan thought. He placed the vial on Regina's bed and started to scrounge around. Considering that Regina had been living here for a week, she had hardly done anything with her personal effects. Still there were clothes strewn about the place.

'I hope Regina doesn't catch me doing this,' he thought to himself. Obviously, Bryan was very uncomfortable clawing around Regina's clothes. Jackets and shirts, he didn't have a problem with, it was more her under garments he was concerned about. Regina didn't wear any of that fancy glitzy stuff, as she put it. Instead, she just wore what was functional: cargo trousers, t-shirts and jackets for the most part.

As Bryan rustled through a pair of trainers he noticed something.

"Hello," Bryan said, intrigued.

On the sole of one trainer was a stain. It was black, for a second Bryan thought I could just be muck or oil. But, he swore it moved slightly. Bryan touched it and scraped it off the shoe. The substance was rather sludgy and lifeless, but a small glimmer clung to it.

On Bryan's index finger the goo began to slip off. He pinched it and took it to his room, removing the vial from Regina's room in the process. A microscope under a large lamp was setup in his room. Bryan took the mass vised between his fingers, placed it under the scope and peered in.

It took Bryan a few minutes to adjust the scope but was finally able to see the mass in detail. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. If anything, it was just a smudge stain or some gum. Bryan persevered, but nothing good came of it.

"Fuck sake," Bryan said in defeat, "I swore it was alive." He got up and ventured back into the living room, leaving the vial in his bedroom. Inside the kitchen fridge Bryan removed a cold beer and cracked it open, the hiss quickly subsided as he took a sip. He returned to his new duty of Regina spying and looked out the window. As he did, Regina and Veronica were just leaving the apartment.

Bryan watched them. Again, he felt like a stalker, but he was adamant to determine what had happened to Regina. He couldn't accept that this sudden change was natural. Also, he would not allow Regina to hurt anybody.

Bryan decided to ghost them. He took a deep swig and left the beer bottle on the side. He briskly acquired a coat and glided out the door, locking it behind him.


	12. Fashioning

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

Mike was beginning a free day. The usual routine would be a quick wash up and trimming, a check up on his daughter before preparing breakfast and then a lengthy read of the Daily Bugle over a cup of coffee. The only difference this time was to hear last night's events from the point of view of the Bugle's belligerent, loud-mouthed editor J. Jonah Jameson.

Typically, when such a unique event occurred, Mike would follow this altered timetable. Since Spiderman's absence there hadn't been much in the news regarding the so-called 'superheroes' and villains, so Mike was naturally interested in seeing the introduction of a new set of faces.

"Who's that on the front, daddy?" Samantha, Mike's daughter, asked weakly. While Sam was her Christian name, her mother was very fond of calling her 'Sapphire,' up until the day she died. Ever since, Mike just referred to her as Sam. However, once Rebecca caught wind of her nickname, she could not resist pointing it out.

Mike didn't turn the sheets to look but he revealed his face from behind the paper to speak.

"I'm not sure yet, honey," Mike responded.

"Are they like Spiderman?"

"No, Spiderman protected people, these two hurt people." Mike didn't refrain telling the truth to Samantha, his little Sapphire. He figured there was no point in shielding her from the harsh realities of the world. After all, he had no bearing on how long she'd be alive for. Why not be as honest and open with her? Her mother probably wouldn't agree if she were still alive. But Mike made a firm decision to be as forward with Sam as possible.

She was a tough little girl. Despite her ailment, she went about life normally. She would play with the local children and was schooled by a private tutor, so then Mike could keep her within earshot. Unless either Sam or Mike said so, it was impossible to notice she was host to an unknown disease.

From the outside, there was no indication, but, apparently, her body could simply shut down if the disease hit critical. Fortunately for Mike, this had not happened yet.

"Will Spiderman ever come back?" Sam asked feebly.

"I don't know," replied Mike. His apartment doorbell rang. Mike tossed the paper onto the table and Sapphire eagerly grabbed it and read the article. Through the peek hole, Mike saw Rebecca standing outside. He opened the door and greeted her. "Hey, Rebecca. Why aren't you at the precinct yet, I thought you were on duty by now."

"Just got a lil' delayed is all," Rebecca said and peeked inside, "hey Sapphire!" She waved towards the youngster engrossed in the daily read, she smiled slightly.

"I would've expected you to come by later if that were the case. Anyway, did you get what I requested?"

"Yeah, sure." Rebecca produced a file, inside was a bunch of reports and files surrounding OsCorp. "You realise the investigation turned up nothing extraordinary. They're not the Osborns."

"You can never be too sure," Mike replied as he sifted through the first couple of pages.

"We questioned all the witnesses, you were there. The security chief, Keyes, Mrs King-"

"Yeah, but the only person who saw the Lizard human is a shivering wreak now. I don't envy the poor girl. Yet, there has to be something," Mike continued, "Thanks for this Ru- Becky, I really appreciate it." Rebecca didn't move. She was spooked.

"I could hardly sleep last night," began Rebecca, "that creature, it scares me."

"Don't let that thing creep you out."

"I'm trying," Rebecca said as she popped a pill into her mouth. Gasping, Rebecca clutched her hands tight. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something too. A mutual friend of mine has invited me to the OsCorp Projects Convention, which is in a few days. I can bring a guest, and I was wondering if you'd come along?"

"Oh, I don't do well with high class dos, that's more your field, Rebecca."

"Come on, it'll be fun. Tell you what; if it's terrible, I'll owe you a coffee!" Mike had to think for a moment. He considered that going could help with his investigation, if at all. Worst case, it could be fun and get a free coffee.

"Alright, alright, I'll sort out a sitter."

"Great, by the way, it is fancy dress, so I'll expect either the best tux from you, or something appropriate. Police uniform, doesn't count," Rebecca laughed and passed Mike her guest invite. Mike analysed it briefly and realised Rebecca wasn't kidding.

"Do the Kings have something about masks and Venetian outfits?"

"This is a yearly event that the Kings had long before they took over OsCorp. Think of it like a Halloween party for stuck up snobs."

'Funny, Halloween's not for another couple of months,' Mike thought.

"Anyway, I've idled enough, I must dash. I'll be round Thursday evening then, okay? Bye!" Rebecca didn't allow Mike a chance to respond and disappeared. With invite in hand Mike returned to the table where Samantha had gone all dreamy eyed and puckered her lips. She made a kissing sound.

"Very funny," Mike responded with a jaunty smile.

By that afternoon, Ellis had been in an extended meeting with the OsCorp board of directors. The topic: Zoe's plans and her recent fitness.

"Ellis, she'll jeopardise everything we've worked for," a stern chairman started.

"I understand that, but surely you must appreciate where she's coming from," Ellis replied. From that, each board member systematically commented.

"We all do Ellis, but this is a company," one began.

"Yes, a respectable manufacturer of weapons and technologies."

"Not a play-thing for a spoilt girl who doesn't appreciate the difficulties of running this company,"

"We've been watching from the side-lines, fearing what'll happen if she continues to squander resources."

"Last night's fiasco could potentially snowball in a situation we can no longer control."

"Not mention an extensive bill of damages to accommodate."

"It may be best if she-" began the final member. She was interrupted by the original head of the board.

"It might be best if she relinquished her duties as joint CEO. She seems far too absorbed by her work in special projects anyway." Ellis was silent for a long period. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You cannot seriously expect her to go along with this, do you?!" Ellis was clearly disappointed in the board's lack of faith. But in the back of his mind, he knew this was coming.

"It's either that, Ellis or she goes for good. I know a lot of people here appreciate her presence, and I think I speak for everyone in this boardroom when I say we'd prefer the former."

"I hear what you're saying, but I think it's the wrong call," Ellis replied, getting increasingly resigned.

"Either one or the other, Ellis. She cannot have both." Silence followed as each board member stared at Ellis, expecting his answer. Each and every one of the board members seemed to crack a smile, a small grin. It was like they knew what Ellis was going to say.

Ellis could hear their maniacal laughs reverberating around the halls of a distorted company. Each note bore into his skull like a power drill, forcing him to make a decision. The choice was made already – long before Ellis opened his mouth.

"Well, you can break this news to her yourself. I won't," Ellis finally said severely, his hands were pressed firmly against the table before him as he lurched aggressively.

"Gladly, we will inform her after the Projects Convention. You should also consider your stance on this matter, Ellis. She may be your wife, but we will not accept the influence she clearly has over you. If she cannot tend to these matters herself, then what use is she?" Ellis was wrenched; his loyalty was never put into question until this single encounter. Now the board doubted him solely because of his partner. "This meeting is adjourned for now; we will conclude this matter in a few days." The orchestra of chair wheels whisked along the carpet floor and folders were packed away. Ellis looked at each member with grimace. However, he wasn't the only one.

Zoe witnessed everything from her private terminal. She disobeyed Ellis and eluded all high authorities just to witness what the board had planned for her.

"Those overpaid, overdressed, belligerent bastards!" yelled Zoe. She stormed out of the office without another word and burst into her lab. Benny was surprised to see her in the tower.

"Mr King said you were on sick leave today ma'am," stated Benny as he followed her movements towards Paige's workshop.

"I got better," Zoe replied without looking back. Although slightly concerned, Benny continued his work.

Paige was in the workshop, tinkering with the remaining scraps from last night's encounter. She didn't acknowledge Zoe until she was good and ready.

"You look unhappy," said Paige bluntly.

"I've no time for your pointless comments, Paige. Listen and listen closely. I know you did special favours for my father in the past-"

"And you expect me to extend you that same courtesy?" scoffed Paige, "No chance, not with how you treat me."

"This isn't a favour I'm proposing. I'm making you an offer."

"Oh? I thought that wasn't your game."

"I'm broadening horizons and I could use someone with your talents, plus I can offer you a nice bonus." Paige suddenly perked up and became intrigued. Not only was Zoe proposing an increase in pay, but also exclusivity. She started to like this new Zoe.

"A bonus huh? Why the sudden change of tone?"

"The less you know the better."

"I take it Benny figures in all this too."

"I trust him, for now. But I won't extend him the same courtesy as I am to you." Zoe proceeded to remove her OzBerry and activated it.

"What are the stipulations of this…contract?"

"Simple: you do exclusive projects; you get a big pay package - plus a little extra for keeping this to yourself." Paige nodded in agreement. She was not unfamiliar to the crooked, under-the-table deal as Zoe was clearly aware. "Now, I was looking over the old OsCorp files on this flight suit and glider. I was hoping we could-"

"We?! Whoa, whoa, I work best alone, Zoe."

"Trust me; I think you're going to like these." A series of diagrams burst from the device in holographic projections – each an improvement on the original glider gear design. Paige mused over the images for a brief moment, memorising every detail.

"This is all very functional, but eh…a cloak…seriously?" said Paige.

"Call it," Zoe began, "a bit of flair."

Throughout the entire afternoon and into the evening, Regina and Veronica spent some quality time together. And throughout that entire time, Bryan stalked them. He followed them into the theatre, sitting a few rows behind. Then he followed them to a nearby café where they stopped for a bite to eat.

Bryan felt very uncomfortable doing it. But he wanted to see if anything was going on beyond the 'girl-talk' as he would put it. Yet so far, there was nothing extraordinary, except for the fact that Regina was enjoying Veronica's company. She was smiling and genuinely happy. Bryan could even hear her laughing at one point.

'She never laughs,' Bryan thought. By this point, he was sat on a table a few metres from Regina. He felt very silly and the waitresses were giving him suggestive looks. 'Great, they actually think I'm a stalker.' One of the waitresses had the nerve to approach Regina and indicate that someone was keeping an eye on her.

When she looked over, Bryan cowered behind a newspaper.

"Don't worry, he's alright." Bryan heard Regina giggle.

"Great move 'Agent Cain,'" Bryan whispered to himself sarcastically. Regina and Veronica began to move on, Bryan followed suit. He left his bill along with a nice tip, not even stopping for change.

"Regina, you know he's been following us since the theatre," Veronica pointed out as they passed a high fashion store.

"Yes, I know. Let him, it's a bit of- oh look at that." Regina's attention was caught by a dazzling dress in the store window. "That's lovely."

"Unless you can magically summon, five hundred dollars though, neither one of us is wearing that," Veronica indicated. She also noted that Bryan was within earshot of the girls. As he approached, Regina turned to him. "You know it's really creepy, you following us around the city," said Veronica.

"Don't think I haven't noticed," Bryan stated, pushing his hands deep into his coat pockets.

"Then why don't you leave me alone? Don't you trust me, is that it? I thought after this morning you would leave me be! But it's never enough."

"Not with the way you spoke to me 'sis,' I don't trust you because you've not said more than a few sentences prior to today…" Bryan inhaled deeply. "Look, I'm not repeating this, and not out here on the street." He slowly approached Regina, Veronica moved back slightly from her. "Please, come home tonight. That's all I ask, just so I know you're fine."

"I'd rather stay with Veron-"

"Just one night, that's all I ask. After that, you can do what you will." Bryan awaited Regina's answer. Regina consulted her feelings briefly. Inside, she understood Bryan's suspicions. For the benefit of both her and Bryan she agreed.

"Okay, fine, I'll be home tonight. I promise." Bryan was happy to hear Regina say that. But he reserved full judgement until the night.

"I've got your word on that." He looked at the dress Regina was gazing upon. "That's not your sort of thing really. I mean, your fashion sense isn't great." Bryan noticed the price tag and whistled, "Plus that's a _bit_ beyond our budget. But hey, maybe you could make one," he joked.

'Make one,' Regina thought.

"_Oh no, you're going to dress me like a girl aren't you?"_ feared the symbiote. It was right.

"I'll see you tonight then," Bryan walked away, abandoning his pursuit. He decided that, for the moment there was nothing wrong with her presently. Nothing dangerous, except maybe the possibility of her spending every penny they had on fancy fabric. Regina watched him walk away.

"Are you going to?" asked Veronica.

"Huh? What?"

"Your promise, are you going to keep it? I think you should go with him now."

"Yeah, yes I suppose I should." Regina smiled and started to run to catch Bryan.

"Hold on a sec," Veronica said grabbing Regina firmly by the arm. Regina staggered. Confused, she turned to Veronica. Veronica placed a key into her hand.

"Here, you're welcome back at mine anytime. No more climbing in through my window, eh? Now go on, I'll see you later." Veronica released Regina.

"Thanks," she said before taking off again, smiling as she caught up with Bryan. A brief trip on foot led to where Bryan had parked his car, just across from the theatre. Regina shot Bryan a disappointed look, but still smiled. They drove back to the apartment but as they neared the building Regina wanted to get out.

"I just want to check something," Regina said.

"Okay, I'll park the car and see you back in the apartment." Bryan waited for Regina to slam the door shut before driving off. Stan, the comic store owner was visible inside the store; he was lecturing some children about comics. At least, that's what Regina thought. She couldn't think of anything else the old man would be telling the kids.

With spare key in hand Regina returned to Veronica's apartment. Iggy greeted them, slinking over her feet as she stepped in. The iguana brushed a precarious looking table top and some sheets fell to the floor.

"Hello Iggy," greeted Regina.

"_Remind me why we'__re back here__,__"_asked the symbiote.

"Mainly I just wanted to check the key worked." Regina then noticed something among the sheets that fell. It was mail, letters she had received but one was an invite.

"OsCorp Projects Convention," quoted Regina, "plus one guest."

"_Do I count?"_ the symbiote laughed.

"No," Regina replied, folding the invite up, "but, this might get me closer to Zoe King."

"_Sneaky, I take it you're going to invite your girlfriend."_

"Actually, I think I should invite my brother…Veronica can't be seen with me if I go after Zoe. Zoe won't want Veronica anyway near her…plus; going with Bryan would surely get me in his good books."

"_Yeah, but it says 'fancy dress,' on the invite, whatever that means."_ Regina grinned. The symbiote didn't like it. _"Oh__,__ no, no, no, no__. You ARE going to dress me up like__ a girl! I hate you right now.__"_

"The feeling's mutual," replied Regina. She pocketed the invitation and left Veronica's apartment, locking the door behind.

"_Veronica's not going to like you stealing her invite."_

"I don't think she was going anyway, given her killer relationship with Zoe." Regina dashed across the street and back into her own apartment where Bryan was waiting.

"I'll be honest, I didn't think you'd keep your promise. Not so quickly too," Bryan said. Regina sniffed the air.

"Pop tarts?" she asked.

"Yup, I figured you'd want some."

"Of course! If there's one thing I can do with right now: pop-tarts!" Regina said gleefully. "Oh and I wanted to give you this." She produced the invite to Bryan. A child inside Bryan was bounding around his innards, as could be gathered from his bewildered expression.

"Wow, where'd you get this? Wait, you didn't steal it did you?"

"No, Veronica gave it to me, she can't go." Regina didn't necessarily lie; she just bent the truth a bit. Bryan was ecstatic; he had a huge fondness for the convention and had wanted to go for years. The latest breakthroughs and developments at Kings Arms Tech would be present, but since they took over OsCorp, the convention was merged. It was quite high society, but Bryan wouldn't let that deteriorate from his fascination for the projects.

"Fancy dress? I'll have to see if Dr Connors will lend me a suit again," Bryan picked up the phone and started dialling the doctor, "so this why you were looking at that dress. You can't fool me, sis."

"I didn't know we were going until ten seconds ago, so how would I know?" whispered Regina. It did give her an idea though. She went back into her room, ignoring the fact that her clothes were now more strewn about the place and stood in front of the mirror. Regina concentrated.

"_No, no way,"_ moaned the symbiote as Regina managed to reform the symbiote mass into a fancy, purple dress. Regina smiled in her new elegance. The symbiote just groaned. _"__Damn you females and your 'glam.' __Like I said: I hate you…so much__.__"_


	13. Devil's Grin

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

"Did you see that?!" yelled a hooded crook. A crowbar in his gloved hands was shaking.

"Yeah, it got Brett," said his partner, equally just as terrified. A wail came from beyond the darkness and the shadows formed ghastly shapes that moved like phantoms. "Brett?"

"I'm sorry boys; Brett doesn't feel like talking right now. Do you Brett? _No, I don't!_" Frenzy toyed with her opponents from the shadows.

"Fuck this," said one and bolted.

"Tut, tut, tut," said Frenzy as she lashed a tendril at the fleeing goon and flung him to the ground with a thud. "Leaving so soon? I've still got time to play." Inverted, Frenzy descended from the girders of the warehouse and gazed at the scared thugs.

"Hey, it's just a chick!" one yelled pointing towards the purple creature suspended in mid-air.

"Just a chick?! Have you even been paying attention at all? Let's see what Brett thinks." A muffled scream came crashing down to the ground as a cocooned goon almost face planted the concrete floor. The cocoon shook as the goon tried to break free, stifled grunts and groans were masked by purple goop wrapped around his mouth. "What do you think Brett?" Brett shook his head wildly and tried to speak.

"Fuck it, get her!" yelled a goon as both swung their crowbars towards Frenzy. While suspended, Frenzy dodged each blow. One swipe hit the mummified crook in the gut. He groaned in pain.

"Shit, sorry man," apologised the crowbar wielding buffoon.

"Oh, so rude! Is that a way to treat a girl? Or even your friend." Frenzy round-house kicked one of the goon's heads, smashing him to the floor. In retaliation, the other yelled and charged at Frenzy, swinging in vain. With each motion, Frenzy slightly moved her head, making it appear all too easy. She wrapped her talons around the crook's face stopping him in place. Terrified eyes gaped wide open as Frenzy's teeth lay bare in a deafening roar. Saliva flew from her maw onto the goon, before he was launched many feet backwards by an extending arm-tentacle. His head smashed against the far wall and he gagged.

"Ahh, some of it went in my mouth!" he yelled overdramatically cleansing his mouth of tendril matter. Frenzy laughed hysterically, groaned and licked her lips.

"Tentacle porn," she joked manipulating her tendrils into more. The goons were far from amused by Frenzy's attempted humour and started to flee. "Come on! That was a good one!" Their progress was halted though when they both ran straight into a waiting web of tendrils which actively encased them in cocoons. Frenzy approached, swinging her hips side to side.

"Okay, we give, no more!" one whimpered. Frenzy gripped the inverted goon's head and removed his balaclava. He was turned to face the monstrous creature, its tendrils flailing in excitement. Terrible thoughts encircled his mind. After hearing what the creature had said, he feared what it might do.

"Fine," Frenzy said. The man breathed a sigh of relief and was calm. "One more for the road." Frenzy's head lurched forward, rather than biting the goon's face, she kissed him. Surprised, the goon didn't know what to think. Frenzy's serpentine tongue gripped on the man's and pulled it with force. Next a muffled, gurgling scream followed as Frenzy bit down hard. Scissor teeth scythed away the goon's tongue. He gasped and gurgled, watching the creature remove a dismembered tongue from its mouth. Frenzy giggled.

"Mmmm, lovely. You may also find that Brett's not up for talking either," said Frenzy sinisterly, revealing a second human tongue. She spun the cocoon round to see the final thug, "So, it looks like you're the lucky winner tonight." Distant police sirens squealed, getting closer. Frenzy walked away before launching a tendril to escape. "Sorry to leave you hanging like this boys, but I have an appointment to keep. Oh, make sure you tell them Frenzy called, won't you sweetie?"

The final thug nodded with his eyes gaping wide open.

"Good, I'd hate to come back and take your tongue too." Frenzy swung off into the night. Soon after, the police arrived to relieve the traumatised crooks.

"_Bravo,"_ applauded the symbiote.

"Happy? Now it's time for some 'me time,'" responded Regina.

Bryan was waiting opposite the convention. He was waiting for Regina to show. Anxiously, he continued looking at his watch and his surroundings. Guests were flocking to the convention in couples and small groups. Bryan however was all alone. Wearing a suit all alone was bait for criminals.

Regina flew just above Bryan and silently dropped around the corner from him. Symbiotic mass reformed into a dress as she hit the sidewalk.

"Right, part one, get to the convention," said Regina as she adjusted her hair. By manipulating her powers she made a means to tie her hair back into a ponytail. "Part two-"

"Regina!" Bryan said surprised as Regina turned the corner.

"_Meet up with Bryan,_" she thought. He looked at Regina in awe but surprising uncertainty.

"Remind me where you got that dress again?" asked Bryan as he dusted his suit needlessly.

"Thrift store," Regina responded instantly and grinned sheepishly. An inquisitive look returned to Bryan's brow. Suspicions had grown again. The dress wasn't the same as the one in town, this one was purple. Regina had fashioned her hair into a ponytail. Never had Bryan seen Regina like this. He wasn't complaining openly, however he was suspicious of Regina's acquisition.

"Invitation?" asked a big bouncer stood by the giant glass doors leading to the convention. Bryan rifled through his pockets and presented the guard his invitations. Regina was nervous for a moment. There were no distinguishing features on the invites that indicated it was Veronica's, but she was worried there was something subtle ingrained within. After a few short moments the guard welcomed the pair in.

"Thank you," Bryan said politely. A colossal congregation of finely dressed guests greeted them as they ventured into the grand hall. Banners hung from the beige walls, a large crystal chandelier hanging from the centre illuminated all. On the ground, dozens of well-appointed displays each had a unique OsCorp discovery on view. 'King Comestics' was the first display Regina glimpsed.

"Since when have OsCorp been making cosmetics?" Regina asked Bryan who was just ahead of her.

"Not OsCorp. The new owners, the Kings, have a small cosmetics business based in Europe," Bryan answered.

"How d'you know that?"

"Says so in this booklet." Bryan waved a copy of a convention booklet in Regina's face, much to her disappointment. She shook her head.

The gathering was immense; Regina was surprised not to be cowering in fear. But since becoming Frenzy, she had become more confident in such situations. The last few days she had a few chances to hone her skills against some petty criminals.

Despite robbing hoodlums of dignity and perhaps scaring them from the streets, Regina refused to kill crooks, much to the symbiote's disgust. Since then, it had been irritable, even more so that Regina had influence over the clothing it could create. The two siblings made their way towards the back of the hall, where a stage was set up. Atop the stage, arranged seats were present, each for a member of the OsCorp board. A pedestal close to the edge of the stage had a microphone protruding out of it. A pair of engineers were tweaking and tinkering with the stand.

Out of Regina's view, behind the stage, Ellis King was anxiously waiting. He'd lit up a cigarette secretly.

'_You smell that?'_ Regina asked the symbiote.

'_Yes, but I also smell something else…something…delicious,'_ it replied. Regina looked around as casually as possible for a possible danger. She was disappointed to find that the symbiote had smelt the buffet table a short distance away. Regina rolled her eyes and Bryan made his way to the table.

"This looks good," Bryan said to himself. Regina couldn't hear him, but followed to investigate the table. An assortment of varied appetisers littered the entire collection of platters. One small, chunky rib caught Regina's attention; she examined it like it was contaminated, reluctant to ingest. But it looked delicious. Something about the meat enticed her.

"_It's not a tongue that's for sure."_ Regina ignored it and bit into the rib. Beside her, Bryan was gorging on small appetisers.

"I could've sworn you came here for the projects, Bryan," said Regina sarcastically, slowly tucking into her morsel.

"I've been," Bryan belched, "eating pop-tarts for the best part of a week. Now I get something proper to eat." Regina laughed and gnawed away the meat, right down to the bone.

"Well, well. I didn't expect to find you here," said a voice. Regina turned in alarm as did Bryan. "How's my baby half-brother doing?" Mike and Rebecca stood side by side, staring at the siblings. Bryan smiled.

"Mike! Oh my, it's great to see you again. Your excellent perception not letting you down I see." Bryan shook his hand firmly. Regina was a little confused, but her memory then shocked her to attention.

'_Them! They were at OsCorp tower!'_ Regina looked at Rebecca, _'We almost killed her.'_ Rebecca was smiling though as Bryan introduced himself.

"I didn't know you had a brother, Mike, such a good looking lad too. I thought you said they left you," Rebecca asked Mike.

"My- _Our _mother married a sleazy guy here in New York. When he cheated on her, she met someone else and left for Chicago, leaving me with the awful half." Mike turned back to Bryan, "I didn't know you were back in the Big Apple, Bryan. I thought you went back to Chicago for good after Angela…"

"Oh, no, one of my former teachers offered me a chance here, so here I am," Bryan replied, keeping tears at bay.

"Who's this nice looking lady?" Mike asked looking at the confused Regina.

"Mike, this is Regina. Regina, this is Mike Summers, he's our half-brother."

"Lieutenant Mike Summers," Mike announced, "I'm a police officer." Regina had never met Mike prior to the attack at OsCorp, so she wasn't sure how to react. That was why the symbiote mocked her when the two met. It knew that Mike was related somehow. It felt a connection.

"Hey, Mike," said Regina feebly shaking his hand. She feared that maybe Mike knew her secret. "I didn't realise I had a half-brother."

"Oh? I'm surprised Angela didn't mention me, or Bryan."

"She didn't have the best relationship with your dad, so to keep ours happy she kept it a secret for as long as possible. I only found out when I was here a few years ago. When I came back, there wasn't really a good time to mention it." Bryan dragged Mike closer to him so he could whisper into his ear. "Truth is I'm also back here to allow Regina some time to adjust since the accident. She's had a rough couple of years."

Mike pulled away, nodding slightly to acknowledge the terms.

"Okay, enough of this, we didn't come here to dwell on the past. I've got a fine drink, my brother and sister are here-" Mike looked at his watch briefly and realised something. "Oh, one minor inconvenience, I've got to make a quick phone call." Mike stepped aside for a moment and pulled out his mobile phone. This left Rebecca, Regina and Bryan stood in awkward silence. Regina broke it.

"So, are you and Mike?" Regina asked, gesturing her fingers between Rebecca and Mike.

"Me? No, I wouldn't, he's not my type. We just work together." Rebecca took a sip of fine wine as Bryan disappeared to investigate Mike's disappearance. As Rebecca gazed at Regina she couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. "Have we met before, Regina?"

Regina was stunned, but remained as calm as possible. "No."

"You sure?" Rebecca slowly approached her. A curious look on Rebecca disturbed Regina. Investigation work was being conducted right in front of her. Naked digits explored Regina's wrists. Next her cheeks were gently touched by Rebecca. "I'm sure-"

"No, you're not! You're making me uncomfortable." Regina forcefully removed Rebecca's hand from her. Only Veronica had the privilege to explore her so. Regina was getting paranoid. She felt that almost everybody was starting to know her secret.

"_Keep it calm, Frenzy. No one knows yet,"_ relayed the symbiote.

'_Yeah, but how much longer will that last?'_ she thought. Mike and Bryan returned.

"Just a minor check- I'm sorry, are we interrupting a moment here?" said Mike, noting how close Rebecca was to Regina.

"You should look out Rebecca, Regina's already taken," joked Bryan, much to Regina's embarrassment.

"Bryan!" she snapped.

"Oh, who's the lucky man then? Do tell," Rebecca encouraged. Regina shielded her eyes from everyone's gaze, embarrassed.

"Not a man, Rebecca."

"Bryan!" snapped Regina again. Rebecca gasped and cracked a suggestive smile.

"A lucky lady then, well I'd best keep my distance," Rebecca said cheekily backing away.

"Yes, you do that, please," Regina answered angrily and started walking away.

"Excuse me guys." Bryan pursued Regina for a short distance through the crowd. "Regina!" Regina stopped a turned to Bryan, a tear started to form in her eye.

"Why d'you do that?"

"Nothing to be embarrassed about, Regina. I thought you and Veronica were-"

"I don't know yet. You don't understand. It's complicated." Regina wiped her teary eye. Bryan took a moment to reflect. Perhaps he was being presumptuous.

However, he figured that Regina harboured some romantic feelings for Veronica, considering how she reacted previously. Not to mention that she visited Veronica practically every day.

"Alright, Regina, I'll leave you to figure it out. Sorry for embarrassing you like that...Come on, this food won't eat itself." Regina chuckled slightly and followed. Someone was jostled aside by Regina's growing pace.

"Sorry," she said to the cloaked guest.

"Don't worry," said the cloaked figure, "plenty of people here." An arm clad in gold pulled the hooded cloak down further, obscuring the guests face. Regina swore that she saw red, devilish eyes beneath the hood. She watched the guest walk on as Bryan gestured for her return.

"Regina!" yelled Bryan over the sea of discussions.

Rumbling in Ellis' pocket diverted his attention from the gathering of guests.

"What the hell," he said removing his phone. 'P. Mason' was illuminated on the display. Ellis groaned and reluctantly answered the phone. "I thought I said no calls tonight. Why aren't you here anyway?"

"Mr King, some- someone stole the flight suit and glider!" Paige wailed down the receiver. Unknown to Ellis, Paige was actively lying to cover her new 'investment.' Somewhere among the crowd, dressed in golden gear, Zoe was eavesdropping with a new gizmo.

"Shit." Ellis gripped his hair tightly in frustration. "How? I thought we secured everything since the attack."

"Someone broke in and stole it, the bastard busted my workshop up pretty bad," continued Paige, grinning at how Ellis was sinking into her trap. Ellis didn't reply, he was quietly considering how such a thing occurred. One of the board members, specifically the head of the board, also wondered too, judging by the gaze he was giving Ellis.

"Stay there and deal with it, I've got bigger problems right now." Ellis hung up immediately and kept his back turned to the board member.

"I heard there's been _another_ break in," said the head sternly. He stared intently at the tall figure facing away. Slowly, Ellis turned to face the middle-aged man. Ellis suspected that another member of the OsCorp staff had spilled and the head was not impressed. Before Ellis could even speak the head interrupted him.

"Let's be honest, Ellis. Security has been pretty lax during your short tenure - even more so than the Osborns managed in an entire lifetime. As a result, the board shall be relieving you of your duties, indefinitely."

Ellis was stunned. "You must be fucking joking." Each step he took towards the head was like a tree trunk thundering to the ground. His eyes were ablaze with rage. "Without me, your company would be nothing!" He gripped the man's collar firmly and lifted him off the ground. "You cannot do this to me! After everything I've done for you. All that money will just whittle away and you'll be left with nothing more than a husk for a business. A dime store, selling toys on the corner." Inside, the head was terrified, but he remained as composed as possible.

"Ellis, the decision is final. And this response just enforces our decision."

"First Zoe, now me…you'll be next, soon enough." Ellis' rage hit boiling point. But he dared not raise a fist against the head, lest he ended up behind bars. Ellis released him and started walking towards the stage podium. "By this convention's end, you will be out Ellis! Finish what you need and then you're out!"

"Soon enough you'll be finished too, old man," said Ellis coldly, "You'd best gather on the stage, the shows about to start." Again, Ellis remained cold. All emotion seemed to drain out of him. Even when he reached the podium, his expression was lifeless. Each board member emerged from the stage curtain and took their respective place. With Ellis on stage, each and every member of the audience gazed up at him.

Regina and her group were silent. Only Rebecca had a comment to make.

"That's Ellis King, he's such a looker don't you think?" She popped a pill into her gullet.

"Don't ask me," Regina answered snidely.

"They're 'doing it,'" Bryan whispered humorously into Regina's ear. She giggled slightly, as did the symbiote strangely.

'Wait…really?' Regina thought. A feeling in her head said 'yes.'

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As you know I am Ellis King, CEO of OsCorp. I would like to welcome you all to the first annual OsCorp Projects Convention." An applause followed as Ellis took a breath. One guest was not applauding, instead she was preparing. "I know many of you may be wondering why I'm presenting this and not my wife."

Ellis glanced at the empty seat in his periphery, disheartened. "If you know her like I do, then you know this is more of her speciality; public speaking. But she's not feeling too well tonight, so instead I stand before you to say one thing: enjoy! Enjoy your evening!" Ellis held his arms aloft to a raucous applause. His expression rarely shifted throughout his brief speech.

"How can he keep such a straight face?" Regina asked to vacant response. As the applause died down, one particular guest was still clapping. Many turned to look. A hooded figure in an amber cloak stood out among the crowd of sharply dressed citizens.

"Bravo," said the figure menacingly. A slow approach towards the stage was accompanied by slow, deliberate clapping. "I'm sure your _wife_ would be so proud, Mr King."

Regina watched the figure walking towards the stage through the spaces in the reforming crowd. The person forged a clear path. Each guest parted to make way. Ellis was calmly intrigued by this approaching figure. It was neither the Lizard nor Frenzy. Everyone was just as intrigued as Ellis. Occasionally, golden boots appeared from the bottom of the full-body cloak.

"Thank you, now if you'd please, re-join the party and enjoy it," urged Ellis. The moving cloak stepped onto the stage. Ellis nodded to nearby security to restrain the figure. Five guards surrounded it.

"Oh dear, is this how you treat your guests sweetie?"

"Sweetie?" Ellis said bemused. In a moment the figure's cloak flew up, revealing a feminine figure, clad entirely in what appeared to be gold plated Kevlar. Three guards behind her were disorientated by the sudden fabric brushing their face. Electrified gauntlets shocked the two beside her. Chaos ensued among the guests, screams and sudden hustling filled the hall. A high-pitched whine whistled from the gold figure's wrists. Swiftly, she swivelled, impaling sharp razor blades into one of the guards behind her. The one furthest right felt the brunt of her foot as she followed up her attack with a quick, powerful kick to the ribs. The OsCorp board members tried to flee.

"No one's going anywhere!" she yelled, flinging a blade latched to her back firmly into the floor before them. Each stopped and stared at their assailant as the final guard got a blow in, knocking the figure's head to one side. She just shrugged it off instantly and gripped the guard's wrist with inhuman strength.

Ellis was slowly backing away. But he remained enthralled by the spectacle. The woman sniffed and pulled her hood back, revealing her head - a round skull with large ears, slanted red eyes accompanied by a devilish expression.

"You're going to regret that!" Pressure increased on the guard's arm and he wailed in agony. Electricity circled through the guard's body as the figure ignited her gauntlets. A sadistic cackle followed as the figure released the guard's now lifeless corpse. Her gaze turned to the horrified board members. "Now you lot, stay put!"

A majority of the guests cleared out of the hall. Regina followed her group, but understood she had to do something.

'I'm going to regret this,' she thought. In an instant she slowed down and allowed herself to get lost among crowd until she could slip out into a quiet corner. Quickly she assessed her surroundings, find a suitable entry point. "Skylight." Her dress transformed into the being known as Frenzy. Talons formed and tendrils became active. Frenzy slipped out of view of everybody and located a suitable point to make her grand entrance.

Outside, Bryan was catching his breath, alone. Both Rebecca and Mike had separated from him to control the situation. Bryan realised Regina wasn't with him.

"Regina? Regina?!" he yelled, vainly trying to locate her.

"Ma'am, I don't know who you are-" Ellis began.

"Oh where are my manners. Ladies and gentlemen," announced the figure, raising her arms theatrically similarly to how Ellis had earlier. "I am the Hobgoblin." The Hobgoblin prepared a spherical device her hand. "And I invite you to perish!" A smash from the ceiling distracted her. From the skylight Frenzy swung into action and lunged straight at the Hobgoblin. She instantly recognised the threat.

"Ah, so you're the one they call Frenzy," Hobgoblin chuckled underneath Frenzy. "I must say, you don't keep a girl waiting long." A spark shot from her palm as Frenzy was launched back slightly from electricity. As she rose, hobgoblin punched Frenzy with such ferocity it forced her back off the stage. Frenzy lashed a tendril to the ceiling to pose inverted at Hobgoblin.

"Well, 'I must say,' you're too polite for someone threatening these poor folks,"

"Poor?" giggled Hobgoblin, "These pompous old bags? Really, I'd be doing everyone a favour getting rid of them." She turned to ready her device again. A purple strand relieved Hobgoblin of the device.

"I've seen these before." Frenzy glanced at the device. "These are from OsCorp, are they not? Are you here to return them?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Well." Frenzy implemented her great strength to crush the device in her hand, "You're going to need more." Fragments of amber glazed metal and components hit the ground.

"Don't worry, I came prepared." Hobgoblin flung her cloak back into a comfortable position. Strapped around her chest was a bandolier of devices. Hobgoblin swiftly removed one and flung it towards Frenzy. She raised herself, avoiding the sphere, which carried on until it hit a surface, exploding in fragments. Another bomb was incoming. Frenzy swung away to avoid the incoming weapon.

Hobgoblin wasn't going to waste more of her bombs against Frenzy.

"Nice trick." An incoming sound of jets filled the hall and Frenzy was smashed in the back by a flying platform. "Mine's much better," cackled the Hobgoblin. Frenzy fell to the floor and the glider flew by the Hobgoblin. She jumped on and locked herself into place quickly. Now she was circling Frenzy's ragdoll. "Aw, don't give up, I expected so much more."

"Oh?" Frenzy said coyly, "expect this!" Tendrils launched from her back and whacked the Hobgoblin's glider. She was jostled slightly but it wasn't enough to knock her off the glider.

While there were still guests fleeing the hall, Hobgoblin's targets were beginning to make their move. This did not go unnoticed.

"No!" Hobgoblin screeched, still fending off a forest of Frenzy's tendrils. A sudden burst of turbo from Hobgoblin's glider sliced through the elevated tentacles. A few board members watched on in terror as the Hobgoblin threw an active bomb towards them. The detonation muffled their brief cries of pain.

A confused Ellis watched on as Hobgoblin dispatched another bunch of board members with a second bomb. Screams from the remaining crowd were caused by minor splashes of blood and sinew. Frenzy jumped back into action by using her tendrils as extended limbs. She charged towards Hobgoblin using these limbs like a certain octopus.

Hobgoblin was slightly dislodged when Frenzy finally mounted her glider. She grunted.

"I hate a back-seat driver," Hobgoblin quipped before Frenzy landed a strong jab against her face. Frenzy didn't respond, instead she continued to pummel Hobgoblin. This caused her to lose control of the glider. It flew around in skewed circles around the hall, bashing either side a few times in doing so. Eventually Hobgoblin managed to block a blow and pivoted Frenzy over her head and smashed her against the nearest wall.

Following this, the Hobgoblin targeted her third group, seemingly the last one. Another bomb was unleashed and exploded against the unfortunate people. Crimson stained Hobgoblin's suit with artistic style. She floated victorious above the trio of blood-splattered craters.

However, one still survived; the head of the board. He quietly hid out of sight. Frenzy was still winded from being smashed against the wall and groaned loudly.

"Why am I so bad at this," she said pulling herself up. Frenzy observed the remains of Hobgoblin's victims.

"_This bitch is good. Crazy, but good,"_ the symbiote answered. Frenzy took the opportunity to surprise Hobgoblin. Her back was turned in the air. Frenzy bulked up and started to charge. She pounced on Hobgoblin. A swift strike caught Frenzy by surprise however; Hobgoblin produced another katana-like blade and sliced the enlarged creature.

"You got big, girl," Hobgoblin mocked, "Now stay out of this. This is a grown-up matter." A flurry of panting and motion attracted Hobgoblin's attention. From beneath the buffet table, the last board member emerged. Hobgoblin sighed in mocking disappointment. She flew towards the suited gentleman with blade still in hand.

When she was in close proximity she slashed towards the neck. He turned to witness his final moments. A lengthy blood spray along the wall marked the moment his head was cleaved from his shoulders. Despite being headless, the body staggered briefly before collapsing.

Ellis watched in fear and amazement. He realised that this figure had resolved his problem instantly.

Frenzy lay defeated beneath Hobgoblin. She couldn't beat her, nor prevent her from harming those people. Inside, Regina felt disgusted at herself. At the very least, she wanted to wound her badly. Regina knew what she'd do.

"Good try, Frenzy. But these spoils are mine." Hobgoblin turned to witness Frenzy getting back to her feet. "Oh give it up already, hero. You lost," she sighed.

"I'm no hero." Regina eased herself, unshackling something primal within. Every part of the symbiote erupted, unleashing a flurry of vicious tendrils that acted on an independent instinct. Hobgoblin was severely outnumbered by the amount of tendrils emerging from the purple terror. Frenzy's visage became horrifying as her face seemed to get larger, fangs became guillotines and the tips of her tendrils started producing lances.

The innocent Regina was no longer in control. She conceded control to the symbiote in order to earn some consolation. Lances jabbed towards Hobgoblin, tendrils gripped at her suit trying to keep her still. The glider gave her an increased mobility though that even the symbiote struggled to contain.

Ellis watched on in increasingly eager anticipation. Whilst trying to avoid a barrier of tendrils, Hobgoblin was gripped by a completely different set. She was unable to break free. Frenzy's main body drew closer and closer. Among the shifting tendrils the Hobgoblin could spy the unmistakable body of a young female – the actual host to the creature. However, the movements of the mass were too erratic for her to identify the woman.

Suddenly a second set of jets could be heard. It wasn't from the goblin's glider. In a flash, Frenzy's tendrils were sliced by an unseen force. It was a brief but deadly swipe. The primal Frenzy squealed as another flying figure now occupied the hall. It was unlike the goblin. A metallic humanoid figure larger than a regular man floated silently above her like some kind of guardian angel. Wings spanned several feet across the body.

Goblin recognised what it was – Paige's prized creation, the Raptor. In silence, the Raptor unleashed a steadily charged blast from its palm.

"Oh, come on." Frenzy could only gaze in horror as the charge formed into a beam that forced her back. Regina was flown through several walls back and out of sight.

As quickly as it came, it left – the Raptor flew up and out the skylight it came in. Intrigued, the Hobgoblin followed, not before blowing a mock kiss to where Ellis was still watching.

"Ouch," Regina groaned as she dug out of the rubble. Now she was outside in the alley behind. A few new bruises were her only gift from the encounter. Her hair was disordered from the scuffle, but she managed to correct that with the assistance of the symbiote. Regina quickly reformed her dress and dashed back to the crowd outside the convention.

She managed to blend in without anyone suspecting a thing. Police had arrived now and Regina could hear the crowd discussing that Frenzy had appeared in the building. Regina ignored them and sought Bryan.

"_This city is just full of wackos. You know we're screwed."_realised the symbiote. A numeric disadvantage was against Frenzy. Even with the symbiote at the helm, they couldn't stop both. Albeit that the new arrival did surprise them.

"Then we'll get better," Regina answered defiantly as she recognised Bryan stood close to the entrance near both Rebecca and Mike.


	14. The Offer

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

Over the abyssal backdrop of New York's night sky, Zoe scanned every space of the skyline. Only the gentle hum of her glider's jets comforted her as she kept a keen eye out for the Raptor. She lost sight of it for a moment after leaving the convention, but was convinced it was still nearby. However after an extended fifteen minute period, she was prepared to give it a night.

Something suddenly attacked her from below. There, attached to the glider's underside, was the Raptor. It gazed into the Hobgoblin's fiery red eyes.

"I've been looking for you. You have something which belongs to me!" Zoe sneered and sought to relieve the pilot of the suit. Zoe rotated the glider with a burst of speed. The Raptor was sandwiched perilously between the glider and a skyscraper as Zoe flew by. Unfazed, the Raptor detached itself, fell a few feet and engaged its own flight mechanism. Fan-like wings spanned the immediate space around the Raptor.

A parallel almost choreographed display ensued, as the Raptor flew beside Hobgoblin. The orientation meant that she had to keep pivoting her neck upwards to see the thief. Zoe tried reaching out for the assailant. Raptor just simply corkscrewed away as the Hobgoblin orientated herself. Zoe pursued the winged foe.

"Get back here!" she yelled. Raptor lead and Hobgoblin followed. Zoe was extremely tempted to open fire upon the suit, but she knew how effective it was as a weapon. Instead, she would try catching up and disable it if she could.

"I'm not here for a fight," said the Raptor. A synthetic voice masked the user's true identity – similar to Zoe's own built-in voice changer. "We have a common enemy it seems." The Raptor flew up high to cast its silhouette on the pale moon. Carefully, it observed Hobgoblin as she encircled Raptor's position.

"Yeah, well it seems a coincidence you showing up like you did. Who are you?"

"I represent my employer, someone who respects people with your kind of ability, Zoe." Hobgoblin froze mid-air. "Don't act so surprised, we know so much more about you. Like your vendetta against a one Veronica Pyke."

"I'm surprised a peon like you would even be trusted with such info, let alone where you managed to acquire it." Zoe unsheathed her blade and thrust towards the Raptor. Sparks flew as the blade contacted the high impact armour, barely scathing the aerial armature. "I don't bow to anyone but myself." Raptor floated away slowly. "I do not need an accomplice like you."

"Understood, but consider this: How long do you think before Frenzy and your nemesis combine to oppose you? Far as I could tell, you were on the verge of defeat against Frenzy. My employer wants them both removed, they threaten his criminal empire-"

"Then you can deal with them if you wish," insisted Zoe as she sheathed her blade, "However, Veronica is mine. You can deal with Frenzy yourself."

"Sooner or later she will become a part of your problem." Raptor continued to hover intimidatingly before Zoe. "Who's to say they won't go after those you love?"

"If it ever comes to that then I shall resolve it. For now my mind is decided, you will not be affecting my choice, not tonight, not ever."

"In time, you will regret this decision, Zoe. I will leave you to reflect on your poor decision." Raptor started to boost away.

"You're not going anywhere with that suit!" Zoe yelled and charged towards the Raptor with gauntlets primed. Blinding lights flashed from the Raptor's eagle eye-pieces, stunning Zoe. Her displays went haywire and her ears filled with static. When she finally could see again the Raptor had vanished. Now she knew that the Raptor existed. Someone, besides Zoe, saw Veronica and Frenzy as a threat. An alliance would be the easiest option, but Hobgoblin did not trust the would-be thief, even if it did assist her briefly.

Frenzy was not Zoe's immediate concern. Given the proper opportunity, she believed she could best the purple beast anyway. With the OsCorp board no longer holding her back, Zoe had more freedom to pursue her revenge. Now she would escalate her efforts to capture her ultimate prize: Veronica.

She would not ignore the Raptor though. The thief still possessed her property. But with no means of tracking the Raptor, Zoe just made her way back to the penthouse.

Mike returned home later that evening. The lights were dimly lit in his apartment. On one of the kitchenette stools was an unconscious babysitter. The girl had been waiting for Mike to relieve her and dozed off. Truthfully, Mike was delayed due to scouring over the aftermath of Frenzy and Hobgoblin's mess.

"Megan," said Mike, gently rousing the young girl.

"Oh, Mr Summers. Sorry-" Megan replied with her typical Irish accent.

"Don't worry, it's my fault. Has Sam been alright?"

"She's been good as gold. Neither has she felt iffy." Megan got to her feet as Mike fished around his pocket for some cash.

"Thanks for helping out again Megan, and on such short notice."

"Anytime, Mr Summers. It's my pleasure."

"I know Sam definitely appreciates your company. You still freelance at the Bugle?" Mike made small talk with his favourite sitter.

"Uh, interning actually, my latest spreads are not having much effect on 'Jolly J.'" Of course, Megan was referring to Jameson. Mike grinned slightly.

"You just need to find something hard-hitting. Frenzy seems to be big news lately; you could do something on her." Mike snickered slightly, "or maybe you should do some reporting on OsCorp. Help me out a bit." Mike was seemingly joking, but Megan thought otherwise. He produced a little extra money for inconveniencing the girl and sent her on her way. "Thanks again." Megan waved farewell as she walked out of the apartment.

In the other room, Sam was sound asleep. Mike didn't want to wake her and quietly relieved himself of his effects. Silently, Mike took a glass of cold water and drank it quickly. With his fingers, Mike dappled sparse droplets over his forehead and face. This lightly refreshed him. Mike wanted to clear his head from another night of horrors.

Seeing dead bodies made him sick, despite remaining calm and composed. Then he heard the events of Frenzy's encounter with some hoodlums. Over the course of the past days crooks had been bound with extremities missing. Two recent victims were short their tongues. Before that there were missing ears. Even one man who tried to force himself upon a woman was minus his manhood.

Mike could marginally appreciate Frenzy emulating Spider-man, but did not approve of her methods.

'How long before she kills someone?' Mike thought.

However, Mike was much more concerned about OsCorp, Zoe and Ellis King. Something troubling was afoot. The last few days asserted this. Firstly there was the attack on OsCorp tower, then the convention.

Mike's attention turned to the file Rebecca had brought him earlier in the week. A majority of the information inside was stuff Mike knew already. It mostly revolved around the Osborn's tenure and how they suddenly went downhill in the last couple years. Mike hoped there would be something in the reports since the King's takeover. Anything to confirm Mike's suspicions, but his initial rummaging was fruitless.

He did consider that history was, indeed, repeating itself: a maniac flying a glider-like device, circular amber grenades – all hallmarks of the 'Goblin.' Mike joked to himself that the Goblin would always reign around New York. In less than three years there had been just as many Goblins.

'Why can't these freaks be more original?' he thought to himself – he noticed the assailants outfit varied only slightly to the original Green Goblin's suit. Except, this Goblin was a woman and was yellow not green.

The report didn't indicate any foul-play within the OsCorp hierarchy nor did the evidence imply anything out of the ordinary. However, again and again, Mike's instinct said otherwise. It was late, and Mike did not want to bother himself anymore for the remainder of the night. He scratched his scalp in subdued frustration and stowed the report safely away in his office space.

A heavy sigh filled the room as Mike made himself comfortable for the remainder of the night.

"She did not accept," said the Raptor. A large, shadowy figure sat before the mysterious mercenary was unhappy, but not wholly surprised.

"She will, eventually. I trust you to do what is necessary." The figure took a deep drag from his cigar. The cinders illuminated vague features of his rugged face. "For now," he continued, "I have another job that needs addressing." Smoke filled the air as he exhaled and took a calm breath. "We require more income for our immediate plans, friend. Tomorrow a convoy of secure vans will be departing the city with a 'substantial' investment. I want you to retrieve it for me."

"Of course," the Raptor agreed, "what of our contact within the police? Can they still be trusted?"

"Yes, _she_ has done her part for us tonight. And she will continue to do the same."

"Support?" asked the Raptor.

"A handful of my goons will lead the initial attack. You shall follow in support should things turn sour."

"Frenzy…" Both the large figure and Raptor realised the opportunities were disappearing since Frenzy appeared on the scene. Immediate action was required in order to get one over the would-be hero. "I will deal with her."

"Do not kill her," the figure replied instantly. The Raptor was surprised. "We could still use her to our advantage. She doesn't have attributes that make her a 'true hero,' she could still work for us…Do what you must to persuade her."

The Raptor, with new orders, turned to leave. "Oh, do not think to betray me; you stand to gain a lot from what you are doing. Remember that."

"Absolutely," muttered the Raptor confidently.

"I'm fine, honest," Regina pleaded to Bryan. Big brother was acting his paranoid self; he was doctoring Regina's latest collection of vague bruises. The symbiote did it's best to conceal the injuries, but even bruises were beyond its healing factor.

"Uh-huh, but I don't understand how you are getting these, Regina. It's not like you've been rough-housing lately…"

'Oh, you have no idea,' Regina thought as Bryan continued.

"…I'm pretty sure Veronica's been treating you properly like I asked her." Regina felt embarrassed and placed her head firmly on her palm.

"Oh no, you didn't…why can't you back off?"

"I did, this was after you threw me out. You may not like it, but I'd prefer it if someone was always looking out for you."

"_Oh, he has no idea,"_ laughed the symbiote, becoming more in tune with Regina's sarcastic thoughts.

"Anyway, how'd you get these?"

Regina plunged into her creativity again and sighed heavily, "I got them when some fools knocked me down at the convention."

"Uh-huh," Bryan replied nonchalantly as he finished his 'nursing.' Even he seemed to be unmoved by Regina's fibs. Perhaps he was gradually piecing it all together – figuring out what had actually happened to Regina. However, Regina realised how suspicious she was getting, but she acknowledged that Bryan did not know she was in possession of the symbiote. Bryan was getting irritated by Regina's constant evasions. Regina even noticed this from the tone in his voice, an unmistakable tone.

Anybody can sense it, whether it be an increase in volume or a strong body gesture that said; 'I know you're lying. Cut the bullshit.' It wasn't quite to that extreme yet, but Regina sensed that moment was not far off. It was only a matter of time.

Bryan would not pressure her tonight; he was exhausted from the evening trials.

He yawned deeply and spoke, "Okay, I'm gonna get some sleep." As he went down the corridor to his bedroom he turned back one last time. "Oh, tomorrow I'm gonna be looking for some work. You'd best do the same too, the rent won't pay for itself you know." Regina tried to look at him, but Bryan disappeared before she could muster a response.

"Me, working? What the hell can I do?" she whispered. The symbiote gave her an idea…


	15. Bird of Prey

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

The increasing confidence within Regina meant she wanted to do this. She also sought a means to improve her condition, between her and the symbiote, this was a win-win situation. Regina scoured the bad ends of New York looking for such a place as this – an underground fight club.

Even though it was early afternoon, the mood was certainly dark. A battered and worn sign was at diagonals one end whilst straight on the other. Housekeeping had certainly rolled out the red carpet for the new contender.

Regina took a deep breath, "Well, here goes." Immediately she was hounded by reverberating sounds of fists pounding bags as she entered. Flesh colliding with more flesh provided a chorus Regina was unfamiliar with. Burly men with adrenaline and vigour were displaying their might to one another. The lone woman who had just walked in instantly garnered attention from the predominant male audience.

'I sure hope you've got my back here,' Regina thought. The symbiote instantly responded favourably.

"_Yes, I've got your back, so long as you've got mine."_ Regina ignored the increasing attention she was gathering, the dozens of built men were confused. Ape-like expressions clearly indicated what they were thinking.

'What the hell is a chick doing here?' Not even the men's supposed girlfriends were brave enough to enter. There was nothing to stop them though, nothing psychically at least. If the guys felt so offended by the female presence then they should have made it clear at the door.

The owner however was taking no interest. His attention was firmly gripped on the television within his office at the far end of the hall.

Regina came appropriately dressed – or what she thought was appropriate. Considering that half of the men had their shirts off, she jokingly thought that maybe she'd do the same. That would be a sure-fire way to make them fall to their knees. She wasn't here to mess around though, she wanted to strengthen and, hopefully, make some cash on the side.

Regina had made her presence known without uttering a single word. A slim man at the nearby desk welcomed her.

"Afternoon, can I help you darlin'?" he said in an uncertain, crooked tone.

"I'd like to sign up," Regina answered confidently, slamming a handful of cash onto the desk. The guy took an uncomfortable glance beyond Regina into the owner's office, his attention still fixated on the television.

"Uh, we don't get many women here, those that fight anyway," he chewed on a tooth pick and adjusted it with his tongue. Next he assessed Regina, scanning from head to toe. "I'm sorry, darlin'. But it'd be up to the boss. "

"That's him back there right?" Regina nodded her head towards the same man the desk clerk was looking at. He nodded, confirming Regina's query. "You might wanna tell him to watch me, I'm dangerous." Regina started skulking around the hall. She left the cash where it was, so the clerk knew that this woman was up to something. He was intrigued and duly contacted the owner via a phone.

Regina analysed the sweaty juggernauts. Each varied in physique, some were rippled and others were bulky like a brick house. One even looked just a tad overweight. Each and every one of them were watching Regina closely. She was not worried, both she and the symbiote had a plan. These men would whimper should their egos become scarred.

And these men would surely put bets against the cub when the alphas could, supposedly, easily topple her.

"Beauty parlour's other side of town, kid," said the ringleader angrily. His arms were crossed over his beefed chest. Regina chuckled.

"Funny, I could've sworn this was it," Regina continued, she stared at the giant in the centre of the ring. "After all, you look an absolute darling, dear." Regina's taunt tried the guy's patience, but his principles prevented him from an unnecessary outburst.

The reaction to Regina's jest was met with mixed response from the crowd. A few were laughing to themselves quietly, others whispered among each other. The guy nearest to the ringleader looked on unimpressed. He whispered something in his friend's ear.

"I have a better idea," Regina said above the incoherent chatter. She clenched her fists and wrapped some loose tape around them. "Why don't I give one of you a makeover?" She waved her finger around the room, only to be bombarded with laughter from the majority. The owner was watching carefully from his office. Regina could detect his gaze beyond her periphery. The hysteric choir was tiresome; Regina needed to get drastic to really anger one of them. She lashed her fist out at the nearest bruiser and planted her fist firmly against his nose. Regina's hook followed through and launched the guy a couple feet backwards and onto his rear. Suddenly, the hall was quiet, safe for the humiliated man.

"My nose!" he yelled, "that bitch, I-I think she's broke my nose!" A couple rushed over to aid him. The owner smirked.

"You think you're a hard case, eh?" said the ringleader, he made his way to edge of the ring and gestured to Regina. "I say you need some schooling, kid!" He yelled, enticing her into the ring. Regina sighed heavily at his pathetic taunt and made her way unchallenged towards the ring.

"I suppose it's too much to ask for a scintillating taunt from gorillas like you." Regina hurdled over the rope perimeter effortlessly.

"I wouldn't hit a girl, but you're pushing it!"

"That's too bad." Regina lunged at him, head-butting him firmly, "because I would!" He staggered around on his feet before poising himself to strike.

"You!" Swiftly he hooked a fist towards the approaching Regina. She ducked and countered by knocking his chin. A sharp, straight jab followed. This staggered him again. Already he was regretting getting into this. Every swing he took impacted the stale, sweaty, pungent air. This wasn't a balanced bout, but rather a humiliation of extreme proportions. For every ounce of effort he put into his swings, Regina only had to apply a fraction just to put her opponent off balance.

The owner had now taken a keen interest in this new contender. Regina had been effortlessly toying with the thug for a couple of minutes before she finally launched a devastating right hook. The force spun the man round comically and collapsed to the floor with a satisfying thud. Everyone inside the club was stunned silent. Even the owner was silent, but his expression was clearly impressed. He could see an opportunity in this woman.

"Bravo!" he said finally, clapping his hands slowly echoing around the dilapidated walls. The other fighters weren't sure how to react, join in, or not?

Regina now got a clear look at the owner: a crooked looking fellow along with an equally crooked grin just visible below a slick black moustache and hair to match. "You're pretty good, kid. Not many people can down a guy like Bludger Bob," he continued with his gravelly, slimy tongue.

"You must be the guy who runs this place." Regina made her way to the edge of the ring, unravelling the tape around her fists.

"Blackie Gaxton, but most just call me Blackie," introduced Blackie, "don't get many girls wanting to fight. You'd be the first."

"What would I have to do to get in on this?" Regina bent over the rope barrier to lurch towards Blackie. This gave the slick crook a 'gorgeous view.'

"You just did…by beating Bludger-"

"Get her, lads!" Bludger Bob bellowed.

'Fuck sake, these guys are asking for it.' Regina sighed and roundhouse kicked one of the oncoming fighters. He was down and out instantly. Two others started making blows, surprisingly co-ordinated and not random. Regina perched atop the barrier and launched the soles of her feet in a forked formation towards both men. The entirety of her left arm managed to maintain her balance as her feet connected with the jaws.

Both men recoiled from the hit, though they were both up within a flash. The third man was not getting up at all. He was well and truly out. Bludger was watching in frustration. His bruised face wasn't his biggest worry; it was his scarred pride, being beaten by a cocky, hoppy 'little' girl and not a blubbering ape.

Regina was deploying as many acrobatic attacks she could muster, much to the amazement of the onlookers who'd never seen such style in the club. However, Regina's brutal approach worked just as effectively against such amateurs, at least by her standards. Regina swept away one's legs before flipping herself over and dropping her bare feet against his genitals.

The other, scared of suffering the same consequences and just put his hands up.

"Okay, okay, you win." He backed away with his hands still up, his dignity still intact. Regina didn't bother attacking him again, he wasn't worth it anymore. In a moment he turned coward and fled. Bludger angrily charged at Regina. Amazingly, Regina was caught off-guard and Bludger laid a well-placed haymaker across Regina's face, knocking her around and collapsing against the ring perimeter. She wasn't bothered, but the symbiote was angered. Regina could feel it trying to control her ego.

'No, don't go 'Frenzy' on him,' she thought.

"You think you can walk in here like you own the place, kid? You- You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Bludger gripped Regina by the hair and pulled her away from the barrier. Regina staggered from being forced up by the hair and reacted unfavourably. A loud crunching blow followed as Regina swivelled round and pounded Bludger in the gut with a clenched fist.

He lurched over, Regina followed up instantly with a high knee against the bridge of his nose. As his mass flung upwards from the impact, blood splattered from his face onto Regina's trousers.

Regina smirked, "fuck you!" One final coup de grace would knock Bludger flat. Regina imitated the same technique he used. A single, powerful haymaker and Bludger was down, claret seeping out of a fine gash on his nose. Regina actually flicked her wrist, the punch actually hurt her.

"I've never seen anyone fight quite like that, let alone a woman. Didn't catch your name," said a highly impressed Blackie. Regina made her way towards him as a pair of the crowd came to remove Bludger from the ring.

"Uh, name's Regina, Blackie."

"Regina, eh? Well, Regina, how'd you like to make some money as one of my fighters? In fact…" Blackie sifted around his overcoat for some loose notes, "here's a hundred, for such an entertaining show." Blackie handed the note up towards Regina, she accepted it without hesitation. Regina felt a sense of accomplishment, she enjoyed it too, and smashing those guys' faces in was surprisingly satisfying. Darker urges and impulses were beginning to surface, impulses which Regina almost forgot about. Ones that Bryan hoped would remain supressed.

Blackie welcomed Regina into her office. "I know a winner when I see one, Regina. And you're painted all gold. Let's talk business."

A secret room within Zoe King's penthouse hid the location of her new equipment. It was concealed behind a large mirror when the King's moved in, now it was concealed by one of her fancy drink cabinets. Somehow, Ellis didn't know about it. Zoe stumbled upon it by accident and kept it quiet.

Now, it served a similar purpose as its previous owner. Zoe had brought Paige over to oversee some changes to her gear.

"Those transmitter's inside the ears worked a charm, Paige. However, I've a few concerns regarding the glider. Controls were not as responsive as I would like and I'd say some armaments are a must for it to be more effective." Zoe scrutinised the equipment. Most of it was base functions from what Paige had implemented during the development process, but everything thereafter was Zoe's own input. The transmitter built into the helmet, for example was added later.

"I can add some auto-cannons and could squeeze a rocket salvo in there," Paige answered going over the holo-schematics of the glider. "If I adjust the power dispersal during horizontal flight, I can also make it faster."

"Do it," Zoe replied smacking the glider with her palm. There was an uneasy silence. Paige was eager to discuss the return of her R.A.P.T.O.R. prototype, but Zoe was only concerned with confronting Veronica currently. Reclaiming the suit would be an added bonus.

"Are you going to destroy it?" Paige asked.

"If I have to, yes, yes I will," Zoe answered agitated. "But if I get a chance to recover it, then I will."

"And if Ellis finds out what you're doing?"

"He doesn't have to know. But, he probably knows anyway," Zoe admitted, her attitude of late was very suspicious and Ellis wasn't stupid. He most likely would have put two and two together by now and realised who the Hobgoblin was. For now though, Zoe wasn't taking chances. She played along and during her 'rehab' period, she would work on the equipment before attacking Veronica.

Ellis had to deal with the consequences of Zoe's actions at the convention centre. So for the day, he was at OsCorp, straightening things out.

"So why bother hiding this? If he knows-"

"I said he _probably_ knows, if he doesn't, then I should maintain this charade. This is none of his business anyway. He's done nothing wrong and doesn't need to get involved. It's just me, and Veronica."

Beyond the secret room there came a chime. Someone was summoning Zoe.

"Stay here Paige. I'll see what's up." The chime continued rattling on and on. "I'm coming!" Zoe yelled. She finally answered the chamber door and was greeted by one of the servants. "What is it?!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt ma'am, but I'm afraid there's been an, um, accident…"

"Big fights most nights, and at least a thousand dollars per victory. That's a sweet deal. Should be a piece of cake," Frenzy dictated to herself as she swung around the city skyscrapers, looking for trouble. "Not to mention, Blackie's given me free roam of the club, eh, facilities."

"_I'm surprised you didn't throttle him, or bite his tongue out like you normally do,__"_ the symbiote replied.

"He offered us a job didn't he? We can improve and sate a need for violence." Just below them an armoured convoy appeared to be in trouble. A few well organised criminals were hijacking the trucks one by one. "Speaking of which." Frenzy leapt into action. She landed on the last truck. Ahead, men were diving into each compartment, relieving the convoy guards and drivers of their duties. Frenzy crawled over the roof and to the windscreen to see the first criminal.

"Hello, sexy!" She screamed with a fanged expression. The unmasked crook swerved the car left and right, desperately trying to shake Frenzy loose, but it was no good. The crawling, slithering creature slinked into the driver's cabin after smashing through one of the door windows. Frenzy cocooned the driver and forcibly ejected him out the driver's side door. Swiftly, she latched the trailing goon to the van and ripped up the handbrake viciously, halting the truck and causing the mummified crook to smash into the rear bumper. Frenzy moved onto the next truck.

Her presence was being monitored by a familiar foe. Above the convoy, the Raptor watched Frenzy as she subdued the driver. Three more trucks remained.

"Time to intervene." The Raptor swooped down onto the second vehicle ahead of Frenzy. The clank on the roof scared the driver, but the Raptor assured him over the radio. "Keep going." Frenzy crouched down, three limbs on the truck roof, her right arm primed for attack. She snarled.

"Just you and me, bird brain."

"If you continue this, then you leave me no choice but to destroy you," replied the Raptor, unmoved by Frenzy's pathetic attempt at humour. "But, if you were to help me. I can make you very rich, and powerful." The Raptor cradled an intimidating gatling gun mounted to its right arm. "You may have stopped two already, but there's more than a few million left in these three-" Frenzy ignored the Raptor and quickly disabled the third truck.

"Ooops," Frenzy said childishly.

"Fine, the choice is made." The Raptor primed his weapon as the third truck trailed away. Frenzy swung towards the remaining two trucks. Raptor's weapon rotated and unloaded a hailstorm of hot lead. With its feet firmly grasped on the truck, Raptor was affected by minimal recoil. However this meant it couldn't move from its position.

Navigating the stream of bullets proved a challenge for Frenzy. While she could avoid most by scaling along the buildings either side of the avenue, she would have one or two rounds impacting the symbiote's flesh. For the most part the symbiote could cope. But Regina could feel the tingle of heat building up on her own skin.

The trucks were not fast, so the gap was rapidly closed. Frenzy dove into the Raptor and knocked it against the truck roof and through into the trailer. Piles of cash were disturbed and floated around the pair. Frenzy bashed her clenched fists against the Raptor's head, but her efforts were like trying to crack a tough nut.

Suddenly, Frenzy became weightless as she was levitated off of the Raptor. Some kind of device from the Raptor's palm created an anti-gravity field. The Raptor quickly got up and launched Frenzy out of the trailer with an unbelievable, almost other-worldly force. Frenzy tumbled along the asphalt; the bumps started tearing parts of the symbiote off, exposing Regina's flesh.

One slender tendril latched itself upwards, allowing Frenzy to counter the relentless tumble. Within moments, Frenzy was on the pursuit again, her flesh reformed and felt renewed. The Raptor entrenched itself at the trailer's edge, giving it a narrow area to fire out of. Frenzy took advantage of this and could avoid the gunfire much easier. She tried swinging parallel to the trailer.

Though what seemed like a clever idea quickly degraded into a foolish move. The driver noticed Frenzy in his side mirror and sharply jerked the vehicle towards her. Metal viciously whacked Frenzy aside causing her to lose her aerial poise. Her body was plastered on the trailer. Raptor's claws shred through the small amount of metal and ripped Frenzy inside.

"You're out of your league, kid." Just like before, Raptor engaged its gravity pulse and launched Frenzy through the ceiling and into the sky. She drifted out of Raptor's view. There was no quick retaliation, no immediate response. The Raptor had nullified Frenzy.

"Frenzy is dealt with, continue to the rendezvous," said the Raptor confidently over the radio to its comrades.

"Affirmative," the lead driver responded. The convoy had only gone a few more metres before one of the drivers was quickly on the radio.

"Uh, boss, we got a problem." The Raptor flew onto the driver's cabin, ahead, the lead truck was wavering. It was no longer being driven by the Raptor's cronies. Frenzy vacated the cabin and was now controlling the vehicle. Regina retracted the symbiote face so she could see clearly.

"This is a bad idea," Regina strained as she twisted the steering wheel around sharply, causing the truck to jack-knife. As the cabin turned Regina could see the Raptor down the avenue, perched atop the trailing truck.

"You're seriously pissing me off now," Raptor whispered to itself. It flew from the perch and targeted Frenzy's truck. "See how you handle this!" A storm of missiles spiralled and streaked from the flying platform heading for the truck. Regina's truck began to topple, it crashed through parked cabs and sedans as half of the wheels faced the sky. Desperately, Regina scrambled from the cabin only to witness the oncoming aerial assault.

In a split second, she leapt from the tumbling eighteen-wheeler, narrowly escaping the successive explosion. Raptor bellowed in frustration as more dollar notes vaporised. More frustratingly, the wreckage wasn't completely clear for the last remaining truck. The driver frantically applied pressure to the accelerator. The engine rumbled and smoke bellowed from the exhaust. Bravely, the driver rammed the wreckage clear. Inside the suit, the R.A.P.T.O.R. pilot grinned.

"I'll get to the rendezvous, you handle Frenzy," ordered the driver over the radio. Frenzy managed to latch herself onto the Raptor's back, her face was now covered again.

"Aww, I hoped that would work," she pouted.

"There's more than enough money in that truck alone to fulfil my employer's immediate needs."

"Oh, who might that be, pray tell?"

The Raptor didn't respond, instead it gripped Frenzy, flipped her over and hugged her tightly against its chest. Suddenly, the two were rocketing along the New York skyline.

"I don't think that's your immediate concern, girl. You should be more concerned as to where your body will be in about thirty seconds." Pedestrians watched the two zoom overhead. Raptor was leading Frenzy wherever it went. A familiar skyscraper came into view; OsCorp tower.

'Not here again,' Regina thought. "This is where I get off," she said sharply. Raptor took a second to look at Frenzy, only to be blinded by goo launched from her mouth.

"Doesn't matter, you'll be knee deep in eighty stories of concrete soon enough." Being blind didn't dissuade Raptor from its course. It knew where the skyscraper was and both were heading straight for it. Frenzy got drastic and stupid. Positioning her hands outwards, Frenzy proceeded to wrap herself and the Raptor in a cocoon of tendrils.

"You fool!" the Raptor bellowed, its flight power was failing and gravity pulled them towards the streets. Frenzy managed to rip free and reseal the cocoon quickly. The Raptor however was in trouble. Though not completely. Jets would not ignite, they were clogged with alien mass and arms were bound together with the same substance.

There was one final saving grace, the gravity pulse. Frenzy watched the cocoon steadily plummet, hoping for it to collide with the asphalt in a satisfying concoction of metal and blood. A blinding burst of energy from within the cocoon freed the Raptor.

"Oh come on!" Frenzy anticipated that the Raptor was vulnerable and wouldn't see her coming. Wrong. Her body was engulfed in the same gravity field she had been in twice already. Even the Raptor saw her coming.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" The Raptor didn't respond, it was so aggravated with its prey that it couldn't muster the words of hatred. Instead it elevated the paralysed Frenzy upwards, to the top floors of OsCorp tower.

"You know, we've only just met, but already I'm starting to hate you and your childish games."

"_They are childish,__"_ said the symbiote.

'Not helping! Do something!' Regina begged to her better half.

"_Fine."_ And, just like before, the symbiote took control of Regina's body. A more vicious side came alive, her expression deepened to devilish depths. Rows of sharp teeth formed a terrible grin, she screamed at the Raptor. Tendrils flew everywhere. Clumps of alien mass latched to the Raptor and flung it into the tower.

The entire platform went through glass panes and plaster walls. Staff cleared the immediate vicinity and tried to escape, but from what was about to occur, there was no escaping.

Raptor steadied itself and dashed forwards into Frenzy's view. Amazingly Frenzy was aerial. Though not like before, rather than utilising tendrils as swinging implements, her back had sprouted four wings. Each acted independently, one flexing after another like a co-ordinated function. Regina was amazed, observing that she was literally flying. But she couldn't get words out as the Raptor was making its move.

A grand burst of rockets launched from its back. They were no problem for Frenzy. With the excess mass, the symbiote consumed the rockets and through a mysterious force, catapulted them back towards the Raptor. Frenzy's distribution was wilder than the Raptor's and it suddenly dawned on Regina what was happening.

Each rocket detonated around the floor. Volatile chemicals were disturbed as each successive hit detonated more and more of the tower. The grand explosion took out the entire floor. The Raptor could not be seen. However, an overwhelming sense of guilt overtook Regina. She noticed the people trying to get away. The symbiote wouldn't allow Regina to dwell on it and flew her away from the scene. As the final detonation subsided and the smoke cleared, only husks of the offices remained. Charred corpses caught in the explosion lay in agonised silence. Among them the Raptor stood, unscathed.

"You're doing well so far. Now, Zoe has an incentive to kill you." Buried among the corpses were the remains of an office. One previously occupied by Ellis King.

The remaining truck pulled into an undisclosed location. A small crew greeted the remaining driver.

"Where's the rest?" asked one sternly.

"Frenzy got 'em," replied the driver, slamming the door. "Phase 1 is complete, we're moving onto the next order of business for the boss."

"And the Raptor?" The driver removed her balaclava revealing herself to the cronies. It was a woman, roughly mid-twenties, tall and black hair. Most knew her best as Rebecca Vickers, lieutenant in the NYPD.

"Inbound," replied Rebecca. "Now, I'll take my payment, I've another appointment to keep." The crony presented Rebecca a small bag of supplements to keep her going. "I hope this stuff is as good as the last." Rebecca examined the drug unit between her fingers before placing it back in the bag. "Key's in the ignition, send the big man my regards." In line with her duties, Rebecca left quietly in order to return to her other work.

Regina returned to the apartment, shocked at what exactly happened. She stormed in through her bedroom balcony.

"Why d'you do that?!" she strained as her body morphed back to normal.

"_It's what you wanted, besides, we did it!"_ argued the symbiote.

"Stop twisting words! I did nothing! Wh-why those people, they-they did nothing,"insisted Regina.

"_Nobody's innocent Regina, they wanted to harm your girlfriend, remember."_

"Yes, yes, but that was Zoe, not those people specifically! I should've known this would happen-"

"Regina? You home?" Bryan called from the other room.

"_He's not going to like you for this."_

"He's not going to know-

"_No. This."_ The symbiote revealed a pouch attached to Regina's back and from it, horded cash spilled out onto the floor. There was more than the hundred that Blackie gave them earlier.

"That's, that's money from the truck!"

"_It was going to burn anyway,"_

Regina strained and refrained cursing the childish half of her ego. She rapidly bundled it up and attached it to the back of the tall, cracked mirror. Bryan was making his way into the room. Regina reacted quickly and pushed against the door, leaving a small gap for her brother to peer inside.

"Regina, have you been in there all day?!" Bryan had been out much of the day, and assumed that when he was leaving Regina was still asleep. Regina played along.

"Y-Yeah, I've been a bit tired today."

"Oh, who were you talking to in there?" Bryan tried to get a better look inside.

"No one."

"I heard you talking in there Regina, will you let me in?!" Bryan tried to force his way in but Regina stood firm.

"No, no, I'm not decent Bryan, plus I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so best you leave me be."

"Okay, but you're acting weirder than usual Regina, anything you want to tell me?"

"Um…" Regina feigned thought, "nope, nothing at all." And she slammed the door fiercely. Regina sighed heavily and Bryan returned to the television.

"Breaking news! It's another poor day for OsCorp industries and their prized New York headquarters as, once again, it was the target of an attack. The top floor of their research and development facilities was attacked by two assailants. Both have been identified as Frenzy and the Raptor. The death toll has so far been confirmed at thirty and rising. Vice-CEO Ellis King is reported among the deceased…"


	16. Breaking Point

**Note: While this story is based on Spiderman/Marvel Universe, it largely features a number of original characters with references to existing ones. This is a mature story, intended for mature audiences, expect violence, swearing and some sexual content. Some descriptions may be graphical and while I try my best to avoid 'smut,' don't be surprised if some manages to creep in.**

* * *

In the days that followed, Zoe confined herself to her penthouse. For days she didn't leave, nor utter a word to her servants or the media or anyone. She remained secluded within her bubble atop a crumbling empire beneath her.

In her absence, the company's operation was handled by newly appointed directors, people Zoe could trust. They were people experienced in the operation of Kings Arms Tech overseas. However this was minor in comparison to the growing problem that sought to destroy her, both mentally and physically. When it wasn't Veronica destroying her company, it was Frenzy attacking her directly.

Zoe's sanity hung by a slim thread. The only thing keeping her occupied was the goblin gear. Other methods to keep her mind sharp included deciding what tools and implements were best to annihilate her adversaries. For now her mind was on other events.

Today was the day of Ellis' funeral. Zoe was, unsurprisingly, downing a tumbler loaded with whiskey. As she empties the contents, Zoe took a gleaming look at the crystal ware. With a heavy grin, she slammed the glass firmly against her other wrist. Shards punctured her skin and claret gently seeped out. A slight chuckle crept out.

"Earth calling Zoe, are you there?!" Zoe said to herself, engrossed in her own self-pity.

"I'm here, I'm always here…" She grabbed a hold of one photo from the study desk. It was a pleasant photo of both Zoe and Ellis, before they took over OsCorp. "But you're not here!" She yelled, flinging the frame across the room, smashing it. Zoe chuckled. "Where are you sweetie? Can you come back now? I-I-I need you." Zoe's hands trembled.

She tried to put them to use, but they continued quivering, regardless of what she did. She ran them through her hair, over her black dress, up her legs and even upon her groin. "No, no, no. That's Zoe's special place," she said to herself. "You can't go there, it's forbidden." Visions of Frenzy began tormenting her.

It could have been the serum having a profound effect on her psyche, but the stress of having a loved one taken from her was the primary cause. The more she stressed the more her head ached, the longer it continued the more her eyes became saturated in blood.

Crimson tears were falling. Zoe wailed in agony, an extreme combination of physical pain, depression and anger poisoned her. "Ellis…" Zoe whimpered after the pain subsided slightly. Getting to her feet, Zoe noticed the letter opener upon the desk. She crawled towards it. "I could end it, be with you again…" Her digits wrapped around the ivory handle, the blade reflected the summer sun into Zoe's eye. "O, tool of destruction. Unshackle me from my chains." She pulled the blade against her throat and pressed up against it. Cold steel tingled Zoe's skin. The fine blade started to dig into her neck. Zoe tilted her head back and restrained it by pulling on her hair tightly.

"Release me," she whispered. Zoe hesitated. But in a fleeting moment, the blade was whisked behind her head and sheared a length of her golden flowing hair. Loose fibres fell to the ground while Zoe grasped a large clump in hand.

Zoe made her way onto the open balcony with the hair still in hand. The wind was picking up, atop the penthouse it was much stronger. Zoe opened her fist and as the breeze brushed by, it swept the strands of hair along with it. Each line followed one after the other in rapid succession, leaving a trail that glistened in the sunlight before the collection was scattered.

"Nice look." Zoe turned back and up to see the Raptor perched atop the overhanging door ornament.

"You! You caused this!" Zoe spoke severely. She knew that the Raptor was partially responsible for what happened to Ellis.

"I didn't kill your husband, Zoe; remember that before opening your mouth next time."

"You better have a damn good reason for being here. I have my husband's funeral to attend shortly."

"I've come to renegotiate," stated the Raptor. It dropped down from the perch to stand on the balcony proper. Zoe walked back inside and the Raptor followed her.

"There's nothing to renegotiate," Zoe replied, firmly placing the blade back onto her desk, "Frenzy and Veronica are both mine to deal with."

"And how do you expect to take them both all by yourself?" the Raptor queried. Zoe grinned devilishly.

"By surprising them, catching them when they least expect it."

"You can barely handle Frenzy-"

"Neither can you," Zoe retorted instantly. The two were finding a common ground. As much as Zoe did not want to, she quickly realised that an alliance with this mercenary was the only way she would get revenge. She took a deep breath.

"Say we do ally? What are the stipulations?"

"Just one, my employer wants a sample of Frenzy's DNA."

"You want to clone her?" Zoe assumed, "for that you need her alive-"

"Yes," the Raptor spoke low, "you're going to play along, Zoe. Or New York's finest will finally know the identity of the Hobgoblin." Zoe approached to strike the Raptor. She was incensed. It was blackmailing her! "And all of your past and present exploits, including what we're doing right now…"

"You bastard!"

"If you kill her, or alter the plan in any way, you will suffer, severely."

"You're lying."

"The organisation I represent has the necessary resources to make your life a living hell, unless you co-operate."

Zoe was stuck.

"And if I outright refuse?" the Raptor did not respond. The silence was all Zoe needed to assert her suspicions. "You're not leaving me any choice, are you?"

"You will benefit greatly from our partnership, Zoe. All you have to do is what I tell you. Now, you do what is necessary to fulfil your 'duty.'" The Raptor positioned itself on the balcony to depart. "We'll await your first move." With that, the Raptor shot off into the sky.

"Ellis, what do I do?" For a second, Zoe thought she could hear Ellis' voice in the wind, guiding her.

Regina left Veronica's apartment with barely a word. Since her encounter with the Raptor she was struggling to sleep. Guilt was finally swelling inside her. Regina was only responsible for the death of one individual prior, the helicopter pilot, ironically in the same place. That was different though, Regina had no choice, at that time it was either him or those dozens on the streets below.

However, this time there was nobody to save. She, Frenzy, had killed in cold blood. Even thinking that it was to stop the Raptor did not help. The death toll reached forty-two, including Ellis King.

Surprisingly, Zoe King had been quiet, not approaching the press regarding the incident. Regardless, the police were hunting Frenzy. Mike was hunting Frenzy. This meant that Regina had to be sporadic as Frenzy. Any extended amount of time could prove to be volatile.

However it was the thought that her own family was hunting her that bothered her most.

Regina was also surprised that Veronica hadn't been hunting her lately. But Regina couldn't ask her why. Something had changed. Frenzy hadn't fought the Lizard since the first OsCorp incident. Regina wanted to know what had been happening with Veronica, or rather the Lizard. But the constant secrecy - more and more Regina just wanted to scream out: 'I am Frenzy!' And be done with it.

For now, she continued to remain anonymous. Today was Ellis King's funeral and, despite her better judgement, decided to keep a close eye on the events. She didn't get close, she watched from afar, shadowed by an overhanging tree. Regina could've been mistaken for paying respects, but she was mostly keeping an eye on Zoe.

For a family as notorious as the Kings, there wasn't a huge gathering, probably at Zoe's own request. Regina could see her; she was wearing a dress suited for the occasion. Even from a distance, Regina could see that Zoe was distressed. Her left arm was even bandaged up.

"_Why are we here, Frenzy?"_ asked the symbiote.

"Keeping an eye on that woman, you know the one whose life we've ruined," answered Regina quietly but forceful, aggravated by the symbiote's lack of remorse or care. "I only wished the damn Raptor had died in that explosion. That way it might make the losses feel justified. Maybe I wouldn't feel so bad."

Regina stood there staring out on the ceremony, casually observing. Eventually, both she and the symbiote tired of the waiting. Considering that it was starting to get late, Regina opted to make her way to Blackie's gym and do a bout of practise rounds before her big fight that night. Regina's mind was constantly fixated on the fact that she'd been the hand of death.

After a series of practises, Bludger Bob noticed that Regina didn't seem entirely with it.

"You seem distracted, girl. Boy trouble is it?" Bludger was right that Regina didn't seem with it, but that didn't alter her focus. If anything, it strengthened it in a twisted malformation.

"Fuck off, Bludger, or you'll be sniffing dirt for the rest of your days," Regina spitefully replied.

"Hehe, me an' the boys have put a bet against you tonight, so you better lose, Tinkerbelle." Regina started to batter one of the many punch bags in the gym, yet Bludger continued. "Splatter Rick's big business, he'll squash you like the novice you really are. And your failure will make me rich."

"I'm touched that you care, Bludger," Regina answered, becoming increasingly nonchalant. She continued to pummel the bag hanging before her. "But a word of advice…" Regina slammed her first into the bag, sending it flying against the wall behind. "You might want to recall that bet." Regina went to hook another bag up when Bludger grabbed her by the throat.

"Listen, little girl and listen good." Regina decided not to retaliate; this guy was not worth it. "You're going to fall in tonight's fight, or else me an' the boys are gonna to take what we're owed out of your hide!" Bludger released his grip and allowed Regina to proceed. Regina didn't take any notice. She knew full well that she could handle anything Bludger threw at her.

"These results are promising," said Veronica calmly. She looked at her arm, it was scaled and green. Just like the Lizard. However, her mind was her own, currently. "By altering the compound slightly, I can control the mutations…uh, slightly. Arms are one thing, but I must figure out how I can go full 'Lizard' and still maintain control." Veronica's pet iguana, Iggy, took a keen interest in its master's out-of-place limb.

"I don't know about you, Iggy, but since that morning when Regina first slept over…I feel different. I feel stronger." Veronica took a risk and allowed her mutation to proceed. But one step too far and she started to lose it. Iggy hissed violently and Veronica buckled in pain.

"Enough," she groaned and forced her mutations to subside. Veronica's side experiments away from Regina were allowing her to better control her 'gift.' Now, she seemed able to transform into the Lizard like flicking a switch. All it needed was focus. A loud bang at the apartment door startled Veronica.

"I'm coming," she said as she changed back to normal. Veronica hastily draped herself with a discarded gown and answered the door. It was Bryan.

"Hey, Veronica," he said, before realising that Veronica was barely dressed, "uh, sorry, is Regina with you?"

"She was, she went out about an hour ago,"

"Did she say where she was going?"

"No, she hasn't said much to me in the last few days. Something's bothering her though." There was an uneasy silence. Veronica felt it being impolite leaving Bryan outside, so she let him in.

"How so?"

"Well, she seems to be talking to herself a lot in the last few days,"

"Talking to herself? Yeah, I've noticed that too." Bryan took the opportunity to survey the apartment; Veronica had finally cleared away all the paperwork on her desk. The same strong humidity was present though. Bryan even noticed a few of Regina's clothes tossed on the floor, a couple socks and a trainer. "Veronica, how much has Regina told you about herself?"

"Some, she doesn't talk much about your parents. But she did tell me what happened to them." Bryan looked bemused, even a bit surprised. If Regina was telling Veronica such a thing, then it must mean something.

"What did she tell you? That it was a car accident?"

"Yeah, she said that the driver was drunk and crashed the car." Bryan sighed heavily.

"That's only partially true, Veronica. Considering that Regina's told you that much, I suppose it's necessary for you to know."

"Know what?"

"You might want to sit down." So she did, Bryan sat beside Veronica on the worn couch. "Mine and Regina's mother was, eh, not the most caring woman in the world. She lived here in New York for the best part of her life. She even settled down and had a family, but it wasn't enough. She…was an alcoholic and a gambler, she squandered countless amounts, put her then husband in debt. Then she had my half-brother, Mike." Bryan took repeated deep breaths. Recounting the story was difficult for him.

"After a year her husband had enough. They divorced and, apparently, Mike never knew how terrible his mother was. He was lucky I suppose. Angela never changed, even after marrying my dad and moving out to Chicago. Regina was neglected by her; all she wanted was some love and attention. She got plenty, from me and dad, but never Angela. It ruined her. I wised up and got away when I came to Empire State University. Looking back, I wished I hadn't. Retrospect is a wonderful thing."

"We all do dumb things, Bryan," Veronica reassured Bryan, "It's what makes us human. Please continue. What happened to Regina?"

"This was about two years ago now. My dad did his best to care for both Regina and Angela. But, Angela continued to throw her life into the gutter and Regina just wanted to get along with her. She came back drunk one night after sinking a few grand down the plug hole and Regina was there, alone. Dad was late getting back from his shift that night. What does Angela do? Since our dad wasn't there to calm her, she struck Regina." Bryan was becoming teary eyed; even Veronica was shocked but enthralled at the same time. She had no idea.

"My…" Veronica managed to stammer.

"Angela didn't stop. Then something happened, something inside Regina just…broke. Regina retaliated and she couldn't stop. She beat Angela half to death, broke her nose and Regina fractured her own knuckle from beating her. Dad arrived back in time to remove each other before Regina _really_ did something she'd regret. Regina wanted to make amends, so she opted to drive them to the hospital."

"But…if she drove, then…"

"Regina was desperate to get to the hospital, she wanted to make amends. However, she crashed the car when her attention was drawn. From then on, Regina was lost. They probably would've thrown her into a nuthouse if I didn't insist on looking after her."

"How do you know all this if Regina's story isn't true?"

"My parents survived the crash, but the injuries were too severe. My dad told me as much as he knew before he…" Bryan's head sunk and began to sob. Veronica, remorsefully, patted him on the shoulder. "I promised him I would take care of Regina; make sure she would get a life she deserves. How can I promise him that now? If I tell her it'll destroy her…"

"Surely you can tell her."

"The doctors said she must come to terms with it herself and remind herself how the events unfolded. Apparently, if an external source reveals it, then the healing process would be a failure and have a disastrous impact on her."

The room was silent. Even Iggy was motionless, dozing off inside his terrarium. Veronica couldn't believe it. She felt terrible inside and extremely sorry for both Bryan and Regina. Now she could respect why Bryan was constantly watching over her. She had to say something.

"I won't tell her." Bryan wiped his tears away and looked up at her, dumbfounded. Veronica giggled slightly. "I, uh…I love her. And I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her either. She's been here for me in these last few weeks. Thank you, Bryan, for trusting me." Veronica paused for an uncomfortable moment and repaid Bryan the same courtesy. "Regina seems to be hanging around this place, Blackie's." She passed a decrepit poster advertising Blackie's gym and fight club. "I found it in her jacket pocket last night." Bryan scanned the poster briefly.

"What's she doing in a place like that?!"

"Fighters are paid well there, and there are no rules or regulations regarding how violent matches get. Go figure," Veroncia said getting to her feet. Bryan couldn't believe it.

'Surely she wouldn't go that far?' he thought. He had to find out and the only way was to confront her. Bryan at least knew where Regina was going to be by the evening's end. Bryan hastily folded the poster up and shoved it into his pocket.

"Thanks, Veronica. Regina isn't the only reason I came here." Bryan too, got to his feet. Veronica was already in the kitchen making a coffee; she turned her head to face Bryan. "Considering that you used to work at OsCorp, I wanted to let you know I got offered a job working on some medical projects for them." Veronica's eyes widened to the point of explosion.

"That's not a wise move, Bryan…do you want one?" Veronica offered Bryan a coffee as she finished making her own one, Bryan shook his head. "They'll chew you up if even look at their boss funny. Heck, she's more liable to stab you in the back."

"I know about your bad blood with Zoe, but it's a means for me to get some decent cash. As it seems, they pay well for someone with my unique knowledge of space organisms."

"Just don't let her use you, Bryan. Zoe King is no wall flower."

"I know, I've met her already." Bryan idly glanced at his wrist watch.

"Are you going to tell Regina?"

"Yeah, but we're going to have a little chat about what she's been up to. I'll speak to you later, Veronica." Bryan waved aimlessly with little effort and let himself out of the Veronica's dwelling.

Veronica took a sip of her coffee and smirked.

"No more disturbances," Veronica calmly said as she locked up her door. As she was before, Veronica practised her controlled transformations.

"Mike!" Megan banged her first firmly against the cheap oak door of Mike's apartment. "Mike, its Megan…just in case you didn't know already." Her heavy Irish accent made her instantly recognisable to anybody. Clicking could be heard beyond as the locks disengaged. The door opened slightly, but it wasn't Mike. "Oh, I'm sorry, is Mike about?" Rebecca was inside the apartment. Apparently Megan wasn't the only one who babysat Sam.

"No, he's at work currently. Who are you?" Rebecca asked, failing to recognise the perky girl.

"Oh, Megan, I do some babysitting for him sometimes, I take it you're Rebecca Vickers?" Megan cockily pointed her finger towards Rebecca as if her perception was unquestionable.

"That I am, what did you want Mike for anyway?"

"I've got some information regarding OsCorp he might find interesting."

"I'm a cop too, Megan, I can hold onto that for you," Rebecca replied cautiously, hoping to take a peek at what Megan had uncovered, if anything at all. In the back of her mind, Rebecca believed that this young girl was merely joking around. 'How could someone as 'inexperienced' as her have dirt on me?' She thought. Still, she didn't want to take the risk.

"Yeah…so Mike tells me, I _really_, need him to see this, nobody else but him." Megan then suddenly realised something. "Is Sam in there?" Before Rebecca had a chance to reply Megan was calling into the apartment; "Sam!"

"She's asleep, Meg."

"Don't call me Meg, 'Ruby.' " Rebecca sneered and Megan grinned. Megan knew just how to tick off the coloured woman, courtesy of Mike's own suggestions. She knew that talking with Rebecca was getting her nowhere. While she would have liked talking with Sam, she opted to let her sleep. "Fine, I'll catch him later then!" Rebecca scowled at Megan, prompting her to leave immediately. "Geez, she needs to lighten up a bit," Megan whispered as she walked down the corridor. Rebecca slammed the apartment door closed, shaking the walls around her.

Rebecca deeply contemplated the possibility that Megan knew something. She couldn't act, lest Mike became suspicious. Rebecca would remain calm and not react. Her hands started to shake and quiver.

"Dammit," Rebecca whispered sharply. She took the capsule of drugs out of her pocket and popped the lid. However, when she tilted the pot nothing came out. It was empty. Rebecca started to panic. Her mind slowly started to creep into the darkest recesses of her brain. A mad dash through Sam's medical cabinet yielded a temporary solution. Rebecca lodged an excessive amount of mild tranquilizers in her mouth and swallowed them dry.

The sound of gentle footsteps outside the bathroom did not interrupt Rebecca. Sam watched her sitter downing the prescribed meds.

"Rebecca, are you alright?" Sam asked feebly. Rebecca, unimpressed, scorned the poor girl.

"Get back into bed you little bitch!" spat Rebecca. Sam didn't cower and whimper like a child of her age normally would. She quietly obeyed and went straight back into her room. This was due to the amount of medication she was on. Rebecca also had a tendency to slip a little extra into Sam's medication, something that would affect her memory.

Her work as a two-faced character had its perks. One being the collection of drugs she could get. Mike didn't question Rebecca's acquisitions. For as long as he'd known her, Rebecca was always on something prescribed for her mental condition. When those failed, she turned to the criminals she vowed to put away instead. Her traits made her the perfect target for the Raptor and the organisation it aligned with.

The tranquilisers were finally having an effect, albeit minimal. It was enough for now, until Rebecca could get another from her den. For now, she remained as calm as possible. Rebecca slumped herself over Mike's couch, lit up a cigarette and relaxed.


End file.
